Shifting Winds
by KaitouKiwi
Summary: Laurie has been searching for only one person in the past two months: her father. Now that she's been brought onto the Black Bounty her life will change forever. She has a new objective: bring back Lloyd and destroy the ninja. Will she accomplish her mission or is there something greater that she is meant to accomplish? Slight KaiXOC. Rated T because I want to be careful.
1. The Stranger in the Desert

**Hello everyone! I'm Kiwi and this is my very first fanfiction ever. I do not own Ninjago, but I do own my OC. R&R please. I would love to get some feedback to better my writing. :3**

Chapter One: The Stranger in the Desert

The sprawling desert was not forgiving as the teenager sauntered across the sand. Her brow, furrowed, was beaded in sweat as she puffed out breath after breath. Where she was headed she hadn't an inkling, but her father was out here somewhere. Her mother had promised her that much. Stopping for a second, the girl pulled a tie out of her pocket and proceeded to pull back the long red hair that had been causing horrendous sweat marks along the back of her maroon camisole; displeased with the frizzy mess of dead protein that sat upon her head, the girl continued on her journey only to fall to her knees a few minutes later.

Sand coated her tongue, choking her. The sun blazed down from above, taunting the traveler. Running out of hope, the girl crawled forward across the burning sand, scraping up her exposed knees in the process. "Father" she whispered softly, "where could you be?" Without an ounce of strength left in her body, the teenager collapsed, unconscious, in the middle of nowhere.

From out of nowhere approached a shadow, covering the area where the girl lay motionless. A flying vessel hovered twenty feet above and slowly descended into the desert; aboard the ship stood a man with skin as black as the desolate night sky. His red eyes gleamed hungrily. "Someone is down there" he stated, pointing out the girl to the reptilian crew that surrounded him. "Please bring them to me."

Feeling absolutely serene in the intense heat, the snakes hastily obeyed the orders of their captain. A bright green serpent lowered an iron anchor over the side, climbing down the chains after it hit the soft sand. He eyed the girl suspiciously with his three good eyes. "It's a girl!" he called up, hoisting the limp figure onto his left shoulder. Slowly, he approached the anchor as the rest of the crew gawked at him. With swift work, both the snake and girl were on the boat. Smirking, the green serpent threw the girl onto the wooden deck, watching as her limbs sprawled.

"What have we found?" asked the captain from inside a cabin.

"You should come see for yourself" replied a grey snake, placing a heavy emphasis on every letter "s".

The doors to the captain's quarters opened with a bang and the black-skinned man emerged laughing. "Is this the samurai that always aids the ninja?" He knelt down next to the girl, the bone on his helmet casting an odd shadow. Her fiery red hair seemed even brighter in the shade. "No" breathed the man, standing back up. "This can't be…it's impossible…"

"What's the matter, Lord Garmadon?" inquired a black and orange colored serpent, slithering forward.

"Water" Lord Garmadon managed to say. "We need to give this girl water now. Please take her to one of the bunks in the main quarters immediately!"

"Why?" asked a red snake, the color of his scales rivaling that of the unconscious girl's hair. "She could be a spy for the ninja."

"She is _not _a spy!" yelled Lord Garmadon, grabbing the serpent by the wrist. "She is my daughter."

**Oh snap...Garmadon has a daughter. Again, please R&R. I think I'll upload the next chapter soon. I hope you've enjoyed it so far!**


	2. Amnesia

**Hey, decided to update now since I have a lot of school work to do. Also, I wanted to inform you readers that I conceived the plot and began writing in between episodes 15 and 16 of the series. Lloyd is still young and there were no specifics on Misako yet. With that, please enjoy.**

Chapter Two: Amnesia

The girl stirred, opening her eyes with great difficulty. Everything was blurry and her head ached terribly from dehydration. She groaned and rolled onto her left side, tumbling off of the low lying bunk. The wood paneled walls and floor were unfamiliar to her, but she grabbed the glass of water that sat idly on a nearby nightstand and gulped it down quickly. Wiping her mouth with the back of her right hand, the girl headed towards the only door. As she reached for the doorknob, it turned and Lord Garmadon entered.

"Laurie" he gasped quietly, shutting the door behind him. "You should be resting right now. That desert did a number on your health."

"Father" Laurie growled, taking a step backwards. "I've been searching for you. Do you know how far I have traveled to come to Ninjago?"

The evil lord put a finger to his lips and nudged his daughter back towards her bunk. "I'm guessing you've been on your own, walking for quite some time…"

"Two months" interrupted Laurie, shrugging her father's over-protective hand off of her shoulder.

"Yes, two months" continued Lord Garmadon, crossing both pairs of arms. "I just don't understand why you would come looking for me. I hadn't heard from either you or your mother in years. I thought you two might have..." He trailed off, not even completing his thought.

Laurie narrowed her eyes, rage welling up inside of her. "You thought we were dead!" she accused, her hands balling up into fists at her sides. "I came here to tell you that we are doing just fine and that I have been going through some rigorous training to learn Spinjitzu."

Lord Garmadon grabbed his daughter's right wrist. She tried to pull away, but the grip was like a vice. "How dare you learn that martial art" he spat, grabbing Laurie's other wrist as well. "Your brother is trying to learn it as well."

"Lloyd?" Laurie asked, her voice becoming soft and vulnerable. "Where is he? I wanted to see him. I stopped by his school and he wasn't there."

Angrily, Lord Garmadon pushed his daughter to the ground. She skidded across the panels on her back, the edge of the nearest bunk making contact with the back of her skull. Her facial expression became confused, her eyes unfocused. "Where am I, Dad?" she asked in a daze, her hand automatically flying up to her head.

Smiling, Lord Garmadon helped Laurie to her feet. "You are on the Black Bounty, sweetie" he pushed the last word out as if it were poison. "We were just looking for your brother and I think we know where he is now."

Laurie looked around the room slowly, her blue eyes finally resting on her father. "Dad" she started, her voice quiet and urgent "where is Lloyd? I want to see him again." She grabbed one of Lord Garmadon's hands and his smile widened.

"Your brother has been kidnapped by ninja" he stated plainly, turning towards the closed porthole to avoid arousing suspicion with his smile. "I was hoping you could go and rescue him. The ninja know me too well. They have disrupted my tries to get Lloyd back day in and day out. You're a fresh new face, sweetie, and they don't know you exist. You're perfect to snatch your brother out from under their noses."

Laurie narrowed her eyes. "I've been learning Spinjitzu" she replied "and I believe I can help get Lloyd back." She smiled before embracing Lord Garmadon.

The evil lord held back a snicker. "I'll create a suit for you. It will be ready by tomorrow. For now, you should rest. You will need your wits about you when you leave to find the ninja." Prying his daughter's arms off from around his torso, Lord Garmadon directed her to her bunk and left the room quickly, locking the door behind him.

"How is your daughter doing?" asked a dark blue snake out on the deck.

"She's better than ever" smiled Lord Garmadon. "Please gather the rest of the Serpentine. I have an announcement to make."

Within minutes the word had spread across the deck of a new plan being formulated to defeat the ninja. What it involved was anyone's guess, but it had to be of the utmost importance to stop the daily grind of the Black Bounty crew. A crowd gathered on the lower deck as Lord Garmadon spoke from above them, near the wheel.

"My followers" he projected "it appears that my daughter has bumped her head and gained slight amnesia." Grinning, the villain raised his golden staff into the air. "She no longer remembers why she came here in the first place. I have convinced her that Lloyd has been kidnapped by the ninja and she will bring him back. Without Lloyd, the prophecy cannot be fulfilled and I shall rule Ninjago with an iron fist!"

Cheers erupted from every reptile on the deck. "This is the best plan you've had so far!" commended an orange snake, clapping his hands together. Others approved of this comment and grew louder with their joyous cries. "Victory will soon be ours!" cried out another serpent. "The ninja won't know what hit them!"

"Indeed" laughed Lord Garmadon. "Everyone get back to your posts and begin preparations. Tomorrow we send the ninja their doom."

**Uh-oh, everything seems to be going terribly wrong. I will most likely update tomorrow after my Chemistry exam, so it will be before noon. Thank you to everyone who is reading. Still hope you all are enjoying it. :)**


	3. The Orange Ninja

**Time for an update. I think the most difficult part of writing this story was trying to be truthful to the canon character's personalities and, more importantly in my opinion, their speech patterns. I tried extremely hard to write the dialogue and then contemplate if the character would actually say something like that. Just a tid-bit of information there. Please R&R.**

Chapter Three: The Orange Ninja

"I'm ready to go, Dad". Laurie was dressed in a light orange ninja suit and held a bō staff in her right hand. "I promise that I will not fail you. Lloyd will be home soon." Pulling her long hair back in a messy bun, Laurie pulled the mask down over her face and prepared to leave.

Lord Garmadon grabbed her wrist before she leapt over the side of the floating vessel. "Laurie, I just wanted to inform you that not every Serpentine you meet is loyal to me. Please, be careful."

With a nod of her head, Laurie stepped up onto the railing of the boat. "Here goes nothing" she whispered to herself, leaning forward enough to begin tumbling downwards. The ground was approaching fast and Laurie tucked into a ball, preparing to roll onto the concrete. She hit the sidewalk with enough force to knock the air from her lungs. Sputtering, the teenager looked around at the slowly fading neon signs of Ninjago City. Dawn was quickly approaching and she was determined to find the ninja before noon.

"Are you lost?" hissed a voice that sounded somewhat familiar.

As Laurie turned around to answer, a tail wrapped around her body; from her shins to her shoulders, the fake ninja was bound, unable to move. "Who are you?" she managed to ask the snake in between gasps for air. The world was beginning to fade out of focus as black dots danced at the edge of her peripheral vision.

"I am Skalidor, General of the Constrictai Tribe" chuckled the snake, tightening his grip on the poor girl. "Who are you?"

"I'm Laurie Garmadon" she forced out. Her arms were helplessly pinned to her sides, causing panic to rise in her throat. "I am the daughter of Lord Garmadon. Perhaps you could release me?" It was becoming harder and harder to breathe. She could feel her pulse racing and her consciousness slipping.

Skalidor seemed to contemplate the cry for help before answering. "I am terribly sorry" he stated sarcastically, "but I am afraid that we Generals harbor a slight grudge against your father". The snake could feel his prey growing limp with every passing second. "I will offer you an alternative though. I have a friend that would _love _to turn you into a Serpentine! He's around here somewhere…"

"Why can't you just let me go?" muttered Laurie, her eyes beginning to close. She could not last much longer in the grip of the Constrictai General. The colors of every building were starting to become a dusty grey.

"I would let you go, but I cannot think of a better hostage than Lord Garmadon's daughter except, maybe, his son." The snake began to slither off, dragging Laurie behind him. "Fangtom!" called the black and orange snake, "I have someone you need to meet: Lord Garmadon's daughter!"

A two-headed red and black snake appeared from a nearby alley and slithered over. He was obviously pleased with the catch of the morning, clapping his hands together enthusiastically. "Skalidor, this treat is amazing!" he praised in a slight Romanian accent. "I did not know that Lord Garmadon had a daughter."

"Neither did I." Skalidor tightened his grip on Laurie even more. Her head fell to one side without the strength to keep it up. She could have sworn she saw a blur of white and blue somewhere down the street, but her eyes were failing her. The world began to grow black as the Fangpyre General approached. Gently, he laid a hand on her head, above the ear, and a hand on her shoulder as he eased in for the bite.

"Someone, please help" whispered Laurie. Her eyes closed slowly.

From somewhere above, a shuriken buried itself into Skalidor's shoulder. He cried out and his grip on Laurie failed. She collapsed to the ground, motionless. Fangtom turned his gaze to a nearby rooftop. "Who's there?" he hissed angrily.

Another shuriken buried itself in the Fangpyre General's tail. He yelled, pulling it out and throwing it to the ground before retreating down a secluded street. Skalidor had run head first into a street sign and lay crumpled on the asphalt.

A white ninja jumped down from the rooftop and carefully retrieved his weapons. "My sensors indicate that there are no more Serpentine in the area" he said, holding out an arm. A falcon that had been perched on a telephone pole landed on his wrist and cocked its head to the left. The white ninja followed its gaze. "Of course, the patron!" breathed the ninja, kneeling by Laurie's side.

"Zane!" called a blue ninja running down the street. "I chased Fangtom down, but he got away." He bent over, placing his hands on his knees and breathing heavily. "I really should get in better shape. I play _way _too many video games."

"It is fine, Jay" Zane, the white ninja, stated. "Look, this is the individual that they were trying to turn into a Serpentine."

"He's a ninja too" Jay smiled, standing by Laurie's side now. His breathing was beginning to turn into a normal rythym. "Is he dead?"

"I do not believe so" Zane replied, placing two fingers on Laurie's left wrist. "He has a pulse, but I will have to remove his mask so he may breathe better." In a single motion, Zane lifted Laurie's mask off. Her hair had wriggled free of the tie during the struggle and red hair tumbled to the ground like a fiery waterfall.

"It's a girl!" Jay cried, kneeling down next to Laurie. "I've never seen a female ninja before!"

"What about Nya?"

"Nya is a samurai and that's different."

The two ninja continued to kneel over the girl for a few more minutes, completely enthralled by everything that had just occurred. Zane was the first to speak. "We must bring her to Dareth's Dojo. Kai and Cole are taking Lloyd there today to train. I do not know if Sensei should know about this female ninja." He scooped Laurie off the ground, cradling her in his arms. "She is very light" he remarked as his falcon sought refuge on his shoulder.

"This is a bō staff" Jay said to himself. "This must be her weapon of choice. I've heard it's extremely difficult to master." He managed to tuck the staff into his belt near his nun chucks before following Zane. "Is Dareth's far from here because I'm starving!"

"It is not far at all" Zane called back, staring at the mysterious girl. "An orange ninja" he said to himself, "how mysterious."

**Well Laurie is with the ninja now, but probably not the way she was planning. Look forward to another update tomorrow and thank you to everyone who is reading! I really appreciate it. :)**


	4. Family Reunion

**I'm not going to lie. This isn't the most exciting chapter, but I thought it was necessary for story development. Hope you enjoy.**

Chapter Four: Family Reunion

"Is she dead?" asked a black ninja, staring down at Laurie with wide eyes. His bushy eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.

"She is not dead, Cole" Zane repeated for the third time, laying a damp cloth across the girl's forehead. "I believe she passed out due to the strain placed on her lungs and heart from Skalidor's grip."

"How did you guys manage to find her in time?" a red ninja asked, walking over with a plate of eggs. "You two were up earlier than usual, but why?" He handed the plate to Jay who was more than happy to have food.

"I had a dream last night, Kai" Jay recounted with a full mouth. "We were all surrounded by an army of Serpentine and we couldn't fight our way out."

"So?" Kai asked, crossing his arms. "Big deal, you had a nightmare."

"Well, I woke up and Zane was staring out the window. He turned around and told me his falcon had seen Serpentine in the city, so we decided to go bust them."

"I don't know about this" Cole, the black ninja, said. He sat down next to the tatami rug that Laurie lay on. "There are Serpentine spotted in the city and then another ninja shows up. I thought Sensei said there were only five ninja. Six is too many."

"We had to bring her with us. She is a fellow ninja and she had just been attacked by the Serpentine" Zane defended, staring at Cole in disbelief. "I would have not left you there had you been attacked by any of the tribes."

Cole looked at Kai who gave a shrug. "If Fangtom had turned her it would have been another enemy to fight" Kai said, leaning against Dareth's trophy case. "That's the kind of attitude I always have when I'm suspicious about something and I agree with you, Cole. Something about this girl is off. I've never seen Skalidor practically torture someone, let alone almost kill them."

"I beg to differ" rebutted Cole, remembering a time when he and Zane were ambushed in the Constrictai tomb.

"I say we just go to Sensei and tell him all of our concerns" interrupted Jay, his plate now devoid of any breakfast items. "We should go now so we can decide what to do with the girl, maybe even before she wakes up." He pulled his mask over his face and gestured to the rest of his friends. "Does anyone else agree with me?"

Kai rolled his eyes while pulling his mask down and walking out of the door. Cole followed his lead silently, leaving Laurie alone on the floor.

"I do not understand why they do not trust my judgment about this ninja" Zane frowned, pulling his mask down. "What do you think, Jay?"

The blue ninja looked at his friend. "You're usually right about stuff like this. Sometimes the guys get touchy, ever since the tree house incident." He turned towards Dareth who had just entered the room. "We're going out for a little while, but Lloyd should be showing up to train any minute now. Will you tell him that we're running some errands?"

"No problem" replied the dojo owner, ignoring Laurie and returning to his office.

Jay left the building with Zane following close behind. The dojo was absolutely silent when Laurie came to. She groaned, sitting up slowly and feeling her neck. No puncture wounds. With a sigh of relief, Laurie pulled her mask on and went to sit on a bench near the dojo entrance. "Where am I?" she asked herself.

A bell attached to the door went off and Laurie jumped off her seat. "Hello?" called out a young boy dressed in green. "Kai, are you here? Cole, are you ready to train me?" He stepped past Laurie who just stared up at him from the floor. Her breath caught and she blinked rapidly.

"Lloyd, is that you?" she asked, standing. Her head pounded and she swooned slightly, but a pair of arms caught her.

"Who are you?" Lloyd demanded, gripping Laurie's arms tightly. "I know there is not an orange ninja so fess up! Who are you?"

"Take my mask off" Laurie faltered.

"You're probably a Hypnobrai scout sent to hypnotize me and bring me to Skales. No, I'm not going to remove your mask." He pinned Laurie to the ground and sat on top of her. Slowly she started to wriggle her one hand free and ripped the mask off herself.

"Lloyd, it's me, your sister, Laurie."

He stared at the red hair that was sloppily pulled back in a hurry. Lloyd stood up, allowing Laurie to get to her feet. She smiled at him, her blue eyes gleaming with happiness. "Laurie…how…what are you doing here?" he managed to say. His heart was beating so fast. The last time he saw his sister had been four years ago before he was sent to boarding school.

"Dad told me that you were kidnapped by the ninja. I'm here to save you, Lloyd." Laurie smiled and pulled her brother into a hug. "You don't have to worry anymore, brother. Your sister is here for you."

"Wait" Lloyd pulled back, fighting his sister's grip, "you've spoken to Dad?"

"Yes" she nodded, somewhat confused. "He told me you were kidnapped by the ninja."

"I wasn't kidnapped by the ninja!" Lloyd scoffed, somewhat offended. "They're my friends, Laurie!" He stared at his sister for a few seconds. "You called him 'Dad', but you've always called him 'Father'. Is there something wrong with you?"

"No, nothing's wrong with me."

"You didn't run into any dark blue snakes with red eyes or anything on your way here?"

"No, but I was attacked by a black snake and a red snake this morning". Laurie recounted the encounter with disdain. "I'm not sure how I ended up here though. I passed out right before the red snake was about to bite me."

"I bet my friends saved you! Zane and Jay were already gone this morning when I woke up and Kai and Cole were just about to leave to come here." Lloyd looked pleased with himself, though he had done nothing. "I'm happy you're safe, sis".

"She is your sister, Lloyd?" asked a familiar voice. Zane stood at the front door, a look of puzzlement on his face. "I did not know that you had a sister. Why is she here?"

"My Dad sent me to take Lloyd back, you kidnappers!" Laurie growled, lunging towards Zane. She became dizzy suddenly and crumpled to the floor. "I feel horrible" she groaned, trying to pick herself up.

"You should not move around so much. Skalidor really did some damage this morning. I am glad that I found you before Fangtom could inject you with his venom" Zane explained, kneeling down to help the sick girl. "I can also assure you that we did not kidnap your brother…"

"Laurie" she breathed, actually grateful to have Zane helping her up. "I'm Laurie Garmadon."

"Alright then, Laurie" Zane smiled, "we did not kidnap your brother. Who filled your head with such false information?"

"It was my Dad" Laurie said, though her tones made it sound more like a question than a statement. "My head hurts" she managed to say before she passed out once more.

Zane tossed Laurie over his left shoulder. "I came back because I felt bad about leaving her here alone with Dareth. I did not know she was your sister, but she seems a little confused. Perhaps she is under the control of the Hypnobrai Tribe."

"No, I asked her if she ran into any snakes and she told me she ran into two this morning" Lloyd informed Zane. "So, did Skalidor and Fangtom really try to turn her into a Serpentine?"

"Indeed" nodded Zane solemnly. "Perhaps they knew she was Lord Garmadon's daughter and were going to try and blackmail your father. Either way I would have come to her aid, though it does feel odd saving yet another one of Lord Garmadon's children." He looked at Lloyd who looked nervous. "I promise not to tell anyone else that she is your sister. It may cause the others to doubt me. They say I should not have saved her in the first place…"

"Let's go home" Lloyd frowned. "I don't feel like training anymore."

**So Zane knows Lloyd has a sister. How will the others react when ****_they_**** find out? May or may not update tomorrow. Wednesday's are always really busy and, of course, there is a new Ninjago tomorrow. If not tomorrow, expect an update on Thursday. Still hope you all are enjoying this story. Please R&R, it means a lot to me. Thank you. :)**


	5. Entranced

**Quick update before I run off to another class. This chapter is actually pretty long. Please enjoy.**

Chapter Five: Entranced

"So, what's your name?" Kai eyed Laurie carefully from across the dinner table. Sensei Wu had decided to let Laurie stay until she was feeling better and the motive behind the Serpentine attack was discovered. "You never told us your name."

"It's Laurie" she said in a calm tone. Lloyd had filled her in about the distrust of Lord Garmadon so she was playing up the ninja act. Laurie decided that she would gain the ninja's trust before escaping with her brother. "And you are…"

"I'm Kai" he snapped, dipping his spoon back into the Violet Berry Soup that Cole had made for dinner.

"So, you're the orange ninja?" Nya asked, curious. "What is your element?"

"I control the wind" Laurie smiled. This was true, even when she was teaching herself Spinjitzu she was always good at whipping up a whirlwind. "I'm hoping to unlock my full potential soon. I bet it's awesome!" Playing up the ninja angle was not hard because Laurie genuinely _did _want to be a ninja.

"Unlocking your full potential may take a while" Jay sighed, pointing his spoon at her. "It took a while for all of us to accomplish that spectacle."

A siren went off in a room adjacent to the dining room. Nya was out of her seat within seconds, running towards the sound. "Guys, we have sightings of skeletons in downtown Ninjago City".

"Alright, boys" Cole grinned, "Let's go get them!" The ninja all left their places at the table and began heading towards the door. Quickly, they changed into their armored uniforms and sped off down the street, Laurie trailing behind with Lloyd.

"If you can fight, you can help" her brother explained, running to catch up with Jay. Laurie pulled her mask down and gripped her bō staff tightly. She had not fought actual enemies before and the thought terrified her, but she considered it great training in case she had to fend off the ninja later.

Skeletons were running all over town and the sight resonated with Laurie, but thinking about where she had seen it before gave her a headache. She swung her bō staff around in a figure eight motion, knocking out enemies left and right.

"Help!" called Lloyd, caught in the grip of two skeletons. They were carrying him away to a motor vehicle that was parked just outside of a bank.

"Lloyd" Laurie whispered, her blood running cold, "I have to help him." She raced towards the little green ninja, her breathing labored and uneven, the dizziness beginning to claim her mind. "I'm coming!" she called out, whipping her staff around and taking the head off of a skeleton that was closing the trunk door. Laurie opened it up and found Lloyd, tied up and gagged.

"Let go of me!" yelled Kai, trying to shake off four skeletons that were tying his hands behind his back. Laurie turned to the sound before focusing back on her brother. She removed the gag from his mouth.

"Go help Kai" Lloyd spit.

Sighing, Laurie ran across the street and took down two of the skeletons that had been attacking the red ninja. "I hope you're not thinking of hurting him" she found herself saying when something struck her on the back of the head. Laurie fell to the ground, her expression dazed. "What's going on?"

"Laurie, are you okay?" Kai asked, offering her a hand. She gladly took it and looked around the city.

"Who are you?" she asked, growling at Kai. Flashes of the past day raced through her mind. "Kai…" Laurie managed before falling to her knees.

"What's wrong, Laurie?" Jay prompted, standing behind Kai. She gazed straight ahead, her eyes glassy. "Hello, earth to Laurie! Do you know who you are?"

"Yeah" she sighed, rubbing her temples, "I'm Laurie Garmadon. I'm the daughter of Lord Garmadon." Every now and then she remembered something that was not her. "My father confused me. He convinced me you guys kidnapped Lloyd and he sent me to take him back and fight you."

"You're Lord Garmadon's daughter!" Jay gasped, taking his mask off. "That means you're Lloyd's sister!"

"Yeah" Laurie confirmed, smiling. "I've missed him so much I just wanted to see him again…"

"You think we kidnapped Lloyd?" Kai demanded, angry. "You're basically a spy sent to destroy us and kidnap the chosen one for your own father." He kicked some bones that were lying beside him. "Zane should have left you to the mercy of Skalidor and Fangtom." Kai turned away and began walking. Jay shook his head sadly and followed suit.

"No!" Laurie shouted, "that wasn't me. I couldn't remember straight! I hate my father and he twisted my thoughts around, I don't know. I don't want anything to do with my father, let alone fight you! I just wanted to see my brother again, honestly! Please, you have to believe me!" She gave out an enraged scream before heading back to the car in which Lloyd was tied up. The trunk was closed so she opened it once more. Lloyd was nowhere to be found.

"Are you looking for someone?" hissed a voice that put too much emphasis on the word "someone".

Laurie spun around and was face to face with a dark blue snake with red eyes. He held a golden staff in his hand with the hood of a cobra and a spiraling jewel in the middle. "A dark blue snake with red eyes" she whispered to herself. She vaguely recalled her brother warning her about them earlier that morning. "Yeah" she said slowly, "I was under the impression that my brother was in here, but I must have been mistaken."

"I think I know where your brother is, Laurie Garmadon" the snake laughed.

"How do you know my name? Who are you?"

"I am Skales, General of the Hypnobrai Tribe" he rattled his tail as his eyes began to glow brighter. "And everyone knows who _you_ are, my dear".

"Everyone…knows…" Laurie muttered as she stared at Skales. She found herself becoming more confused the longer she looked at him. "Where's my brother…" she tried to ask, but forgot who she was even talking about.

"Is something the matter?" Skales teased as he watched the girl fall deeper and deeper into a trance. "Just relax, Laurie Garmadon, I won't hurt you."

"Just…relax…" Laurie repeated, her eyes beginning to glow red. "Just…relax…"

"Laurie, stop" yelled Zane, "do not look into his eyes!"

"Look…into…his eyes…" Laurie said emotionless, her eyes growing a deeper red. She stood absolutely still, staring at Skales.

Skales hissed maliciously. "You will obey my every command."

Laurie swayed slightly. "I will obey your every command."

"Bring me Lloyd Garmadon" Skales commanded, pointing across the street. Lloyd was talking with Zane and Cole, worry plain on his face.

"I will bring you Lloyd Garmadon" Laurie said, walking towards her brother and the two ninja.

"Your sister is in trouble" Zane informed Lloyd, glancing behind his shoulder as Laurie slowly approached. "We do not have much time. Skales is here and he has put her in a trance."

Lloyd looked confused. "Skales is here? I thought he was sent to jail or something!" He saw Laurie coming closer, her red eyes glowing. "I'm sure I can snap her out of it" he smiled, walking towards his sister.

"No, Lloyd, stop!" Cole called out. "You can't just snap her out of her trance! I would know!" He ran after the green ninja, catching him and pulling him back. "We can't afford to lose you Lloyd! You're the chosen one!"

"Foolish ninja!" hissed Skales, pulling the black ninja off of Lloyd. "Look into my eyes…" he rattled his tail slowly.

Cole swayed slightly, feeling dizzy. "Look…" he muttered, staring at the Serpentine. He fell sideways, hitting the asphalt with a jolt. "Ouch" Cole groaned, looking up at the sky. Zane was lying on top of him, worry on his face.

"Are you okay Cole?"

Cole gave a pained smile. "Yeah, thanks to you I'm not running around like a mindless zombie. It wasn't fun the last time." He sat up and brushed himself off. "We have to go help Lloyd!"

"Help!" Lloyd screamed, trying to wriggle his way out of his sister's grip as she made her way towards the Hypnobrai General. "Laurie, this isn't you! Snap out of it!" He looked over his shoulder to see if his words had any effect. His sister was a tool, being used first by his father and now by the Serpentine. Her red eyes were locked on Skales who smiled wickedly as the Garmadon siblings approached. "Help!" he called again.

"Lloyd, we're coming!" yelled Kai who was fighting his way through more skeletons who had decided to congregate in the city square. Jay was seemingly nowhere to be found. Cole rushed back to help Kai, and Zane ran towards Lloyd.

"I am coming Lloyd!" he called, trying to catch up to the green ninja.

"I have brought you Lloyd Garmadon" Laurie stated, standing in front of Skales.

"Excellent, Laurie" the Hypnobrai praised. "Once I place young Lloyd in a trance than Lord Garmadon will have no choice but to yield to any demands I have."

Lloyd was scared, his breathing heavy. He had almost been hypnotized by a Hypnobrai once, but the spell had backfired and the snake had hypnotized itself. "I'm not going to open my eyes" he said bravely, closing his eyes tight.

"Lloyd, we're coming" called Cole from far behind, "just keep your eyes closed!"

"Lloyd, what's going on?" It was Laurie's voice, her normal voice. She sounded scared and confused.

"Laurie, it's okay" Lloyd opened his eyes to see his sister, but Skales was staring back at him, tail rattling and eyes glowing.

"Pretty clever, aren't I, ninja?" Skales hissed. "I broke your sister's trance long enough for you to open your eyes." Lloyd looked at the snake, his eyes becoming heavier with each passing second. It was dangerous, he was falling into a trance, he could feel it, but Lloyd couldn't look away.

"Stop, Lloyd! Focus on something else, we're almost there!" Cole called out. He was only twenty feet from the boy, but he sounded a mile away. Lloyd tried to think about all the time he had spent with the ninja, training and preparing to fight his father.

"It's alright, Lloyd" Skales laughed, "You're with your sister now."

"With…my…sister" he sighed.

"Ninja-Go!" yelled Zane, barreling towards Lloyd.

"Zane…help…" Lloyd managed to say, his focus slipping. Skales growled at the oncoming ninja attack.

"Laurie, I'm not finished yet. Take care of those ninja".

"I will take care of the ninja" Laurie said, releasing Lloyd and turning towards Zane. With her bō staff in hand, she engaged Zane in combat. He ducked underneath a sweeping blow and shot ice out of his shurikens. She performed a back flip, dodging the oncoming attack. Laurie closed her eyes, holding her staff parallel to the ground and began spinning it in a circle, pushing wind at the ninja.

"What's going on?" asked Cole as he approached Zane, Kai following behind. The roaring of the wind was deafening and the force began to push all three ninja backwards. "Is this her power?" he yelled, trying to shield his eyes from the harsh weather. "She wasn't kidding when she said her element was wind."

"We have to get Lloyd quickly before Skales completely hypnotizes him" Zane called out, trying to walk against the whirlwind. He lost his footing and slid back a couple of feet. "I am afraid that we will be too late. We cannot afford to lose him to the Serpentine."

"Laurie, stop!" Kai yelled, putting his head into the wind and slowly walking forward. "We're your…" he stopped mid-sentence, trying to find a word that fit. "We care about Lloyd just as much as you do, so you have to let us pass!"

"It's no use" Cole warned him. "You know she won't listen to reason in that state."

Lloyd could hear his friends, trying to get to him, trying to help. He focused on the sounds of their voices and the roaring wind behind him. "Guys, I need your help!" he shouted, still unable to look away from the Hypnobrai. His mind was fuzzy, but he concentrated everything he could on his friends.

Skales smiled before crumpling to the ground. Jay stood behind him, a detached street sign in hand. "Are you okay, Lloyd?" he asked tentatively.

Blinking slowly, Lloyd looked around the city. "Yeah" he said slowly, "I'm fine." Smiling, he gave the blue ninja a hug. "Thank you so much, Jay."

"It was nothing, now come on. We need to help your sister."

The two could see her a couple feet away, her bō staff spinning like a helicopter rotor. Zane was pushed back against a building, completely immobile, while Kai and Cole continued to fight their way towards the evil lord's daughter. It was a losing battle. Lloyd rushed his sister from behind, pushing her to the ground. The staff clattered to the street and skidded in front of Kai who picked it up.

"Is she okay?" Zane asked, taking in a deep breath. "She hit the street very hard."

"I bet it was enough to wake her from her trance" Cole smiled, crossing his arms over his chest. "You'll have your sister back, Lloyd."

"Even if she is free from Skales' control I don't think she should come back with us" Kai frowned, narrowing his eyes. "Lord Garmadon sent her here to take Lloyd back. She thinks we kidnapped him! Laurie is evil, just like her father, and we need to leave her be."

"My sister is a good person!" Lloyd argued, rolling off Laurie's back. "She hates my father, always _has _hated him. I remember the fights we used to have when we were younger because I wanted to be just like him. You don't give her enough credit, Kai".

"Well" Jay piped in, "she was saying something after a skeleton clubbed her in the back of the head…"

"Like what?" Lloyd asked.

"Laurie was spouting off some nonsense about her father 'twisting her thoughts'. I mean, _come on_! I wasn't born yesterday! That's the excuse someone will use to try and get in your good graces." Kai continued to grumble.

"I think it may be the truth" Zane stated, standing next to Lloyd. "I saw her at Dareth's Dojo when she was swooning from dizziness. There is an innocence about her that is representative of someone who is good. Do you believe Laurie is this violent towards her brother's friends on her own accord?"

"Ugh…" Laurie groaned, her face still down in the street.

Cole looked at both Zane and Kai, unable to place a side in the battle. Sighing, he bent down next to the girl. "Are you okay Laurie?"

She opened her eyes which were as red as rubies. "I will take care of the ninja" she growled, grabbing Cole by his shirt collar.

"She's still in a trance" the black ninja choked.

"We can counter-act it with the anti-venom in Skales' staff" Zane suggested, scanning the street for the unconscious Hypnobrai. "My sensors indicate that he is gone."

"Gone?" sighed Kai. "He could come after Lloyd again and we have to keep our guard up!"

"Me?" cried Lloyd, the hair on the back of his neck standing up. "What about my sister, Kai? We don't have the anti-venom and Pythor still has the Sacred Flute! Laurie could be a zombie forever!"

"Help" Cole called out. "Your sister, she's choking me."

Jay sauntered over and pried Laurie off of the black ninja. "Why is she still in a trance anyways? Didn't Zane tackle you earlier and broke you out of a trance?"

"Cole was not completely under the hypnosis yet" Zane clarified. "This is the same reason that Lloyd is fine as well". He looked at the girl as Cole and Jay held her arms behind her back. "Laurie was put into a full trance." Zane frowned, his eyebrows furrowed. "I tried to stop her, but I guess I was too late. This is my entire fault…"

"It's not your fault, Zane" shouted Lloyd. "This is no one's fault and we will find Skales and get my sister back!" Angry, he raised his hands before placing them on Laurie's shoulders. A surge of electricity emitted from them, causing his sister to go limp. "She's unconscious now so let's take her back home and ask Sensei what we should do."

Cole and Jay carried Laurie in between them, with Kai following close behind. Zane turned to wait for Lloyd. "Let us go, Lloyd. We will search for Skales some other time."

Lloyd shook his head solemnly. "No, Zane. I am going to Ouroboros to look for him now." Sighing, he opened up Zane's circuit board and shorted it out. The nindroid clattered to the ground, asphalt scraping metal.

Kai turned around and saw Lloyd running in the opposite direction. "Oh no" he gasped, leaving Jay and Cole staring. "Lloyd, stop!" He watched as the green ninja continued towards the city limits, heading in the direction of the desert. "He's going to Ouroboros" Kai whispered to himself, beginning to chase after Lloyd. "I have to stop him!"

"Kai, you can't go by yourself!" yelled Jay, losing his grip on Laurie's arm.

"I'm not going by myself" Kai smiled, taking Laurie's arm from Jay. "I'll take her with me. Maybe I can use her as collateral with Skales in case Lloyd is caught". He gestured for Cole to let go of the girl's other arm and he reluctantly did.

"Be careful, Kai" Cole said, a stern look on his face. "Don't worry about Zane. We'll get him back to the house and have Nya look at him."

Kai nodded, cradling the sleeping girl in his arms. "I'll see you guys soon" he sighed, taking off after Lloyd. The city rushed past him and Kai could not help but look at Laurie's face. They had found her like this, helpless and distraught, but he would have never guessed she was so deceitful. The desert was coming up quickly. "Where could Lloyd have gone?" he asked himself, scanning as far ahead as he could.

"Kai" Laurie groaned, opening her eyes. "What's going on?"

Startled, Kai halted his gait. "Laurie, but…" he could not finish his sentence. He stared down at her ice blue eyes. "You're alright? I mean…are you back to normal?"

"Back to normal?" she asked, moaning. "My head hurts so badly. Where are Lloyd and the others? Where's that snake?" Laurie reached up to pull off her mask. The chill night air felt heavenly on her feverish skin. "Where are you taking me?"

"Um…" Kai let her down and was relieved that she could stand on her own. He had not wanted to carry her all the way to Ouroboros. "You don't remember anything?" he prompted, curious as to why her trance was broken.

"No, what's happening?"

"You were hypnotized by Skales" he started, taking of his mask as well. "You captured Lloyd and attacked us while Skales tried to put him in a trance too." Kai ignored her audible gasp. "We couldn't bring you out of your trance so Lloyd ran off to look for the anti-venom. I'm trying to catch up to him."

"Did I hurt anybody?" Laurie asked. "Is Skales controlling Lloyd as well?"

"You didn't really hurt anyone and, no, Jay saved Lloyd before he was put under."

She sighed, obviously relieved. "I don't know how you snapped me out of it, but thank you." Laurie then noticed her bō staff trailing along the ground, tucked haphazardly into Kai's belt. "My weapon, you brought it. I'll help you find Lloyd, Kai."

The red ninja was displeased with this turn of events. As much as he did not want to carry her, he would have rather had Laurie unconscious during the entire trip. "Fine, you can help, but for the record none of us neutralized your trance. Until you just woke, you were attacking everything." Sighing, Kai handed Laurie her bō staff and took the lead. "Just follow closely, alright"?

"Okay" Laurie replied. She gazed up at the stars that dotted the sky. The desert did not seem so menacing at night. "I'm coming Lloyd" she whispered, pulling her mask down once more.

**Hello plot development. Hopefully everyone enjoyed this chapter. It was a lot of fun to write. Please R&R, thanks. :)**


	6. Behind Enemy Lines

**Finally done with classes for the day. Who saw last night's episode of Ninjago? I thought it was so cool! I'm totally digging the new uniforms. Anyways, here is another update. Of course, when I originally wrote this chapter I had it combined with the next one sequentially, but I felt that they didn't go together. Now this feeble excuse for a chapter stands alone. Sorry that it's so short. :/**

Chapter Six: Behind Enemy Lines

"The snakes _are _still in Ouroboros" Lloyd whispered. His view was slightly obstructed by the boulder that concealed him from the serpents. Taking a deep breath, he pulled his green mask down over his face. "Don't worry Laurie" he said to himself, "I'll save you".

"But who will save _you_?" hissed a voice.

Lloyd spun around to see a large green snake staring back at him. "Acidicus" he gasped, throwing his arms across his eyes. "Where is Skales, I wish to speak with him."

"Little Lloyd Garmadon" the Venomari General chuckled. "You're smart to learn simple ways to defend yourself against us Serpentine, but you were a fool to come here on your own. Skales is not here right now."

"Will you tell him I stopped by?" Lloyd squeaked as the snake threw him over his shoulder.

"You can tell him yourself after he returns."

The walk was quiet and black until Lloyd's back hit metal. This place was familiar to him. He had been imprisoned here before, after sneaking into the Lost City to spy on Pythor. Being a captive was something that seemed to happen quite often to the young boy. Acidicus closed the door to the cage before slithering away.

Lloyd opened his eyes cautiously and scanned the surrounding area. The cage sat upon a cracked platform, damage done to the city after the release of the Great Devourer. Despite being able to house all of the snake tribes, the arena was painfully empty. "Where are all the Serpentine?" he whispered to himself, his eyes continuing to adjust to his surroundings.

"They've all aligned themselves with your father".

The deep and condescending voice came from behind Lloyd, and he turned around, startled. "Pythor?" he gasped. "I thought you were dead…"

"You thought wrong!" The purple snake grabbed two bars on the cage and shook. Lloyd fell to his knees, scared. "The generals assumed my demise as well" he sighed, eyeing the ninja hungrily; "I was absent from the scene after the Great Devourer was defeated, but your precious Sensei couldn't kill me." Pythor gave a laugh that made Lloyd's blood run cold. "And now, here we are, both alive and both back in Ouroboros".

"What do you want with me?" Lloyd asked, slightly trembling.

Pythor narrowed his reptilian eyes. "I believe _you_ were the one that sneaked into _our_ territory" he growled. "What business do you have here?"

"Oh yeah", Lloyd laughed nervously. Taking in a deep breath, the green ninja stood. "I wish to speak with Skales. He has taken something from me that I need back."

"Skales should be back any minute from his night walk. We're expecting more guests anyways so don't get too comfortable, boy" the Anacondrai laughed, slithering away into the darkness.

**Okay. Will update tomorrow after Chemistry. Even though this was the shortest chapter in the history of the entire world it's still story progression and I hope you enjoyed it. :)**


	7. Bargains

**Not relevant to anything, but none of my friends particularly like Ninjago. However, my roommate always has to hear it Wednesday nights and she's actually starting to tolerate it. It's just funny watching her show interest in it and then go "what am I even saying?". So, yeah, new chapter. Update time!**

Chapter Seven: Bargains 

"The City of Ouroboros should be right over this hill" Kai puffed, helping Laurie over an unusually high sand dune. "It's actually pretty amazing, the architecture I mean." He gazed at the girl who stood next to him, her red hair hidden beneath her mask.

"All I can make out is torch light" Laurie said, taking a seat on the soft sand. "I hope Lloyd is okay. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he was hurt".

The red ninja sat down next to her, removing his mask. "You really care about him, don't you?" he sighed. "I thought it was part of your charade, your love for him."

Laurie removed her mask as well, holding it in her hands. The slight breeze of the desert blew around the few strands of hair that had fallen out of her bun. "I do love Lloyd. When he wanted to become just like my father, I hated him for it and then he was sent off to Darkley's. I never got the chance to tell him that I didn't hate him for his admiration." She looked at Kai, his spiky brown hair silhouetted against the night sky. "I know you don't believe me, that my father did something to me. I really believed you and your friends had kidnapped him. That wasn't all me. I think that blow I took to the head knocked some sense into me. I'm sorry for accidently deceiving you" Laurie smiled crookedly.

Kai rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. "Don't worry about it" he apologized. "I can be a real jerk sometimes. I jump to conclusions a lot and I assumed the worst of you, just like I did of Lloyd when Sensei saved him from Pythor the first time. It was wrong of me to judge you because of whom your father is and I realize that now." He looked at Laurie who was staring at the city, the torch light reflecting red in her eyes. "Will you forgive me?" She continued to look straight ahead, dropping her orange mask. "Laurie, are you feeling okay?"

"She's not herself at the moment" hissed a voice from behind. Skales stood at the bottom of the sand dune, staff in hand. "I'm afraid you'll have to get back to her with that sentimental apology."

Avoiding Skales' eyes, Kai turned to Laurie, shaking her shoulder slightly. "C'mon we have to go." She sat motionless, her breathing even. "Skales is coming and we have to save your brother" he cried, grabbing her mask from off of the ground. "Here, put this on right…" Kai stopped as he looked at Laurie's eyes: bright red and glowing.

"Useless without a command, isn't she?" the Hypnobrai General laughed, wrapping his tail around Kai's wrist. He struggled against it, leaning forward. "Give up fighting, ninja. You're caught and there's nothing you can do about it." Kai stopped his struggle and thrust his fist backwards, coming into contact with the serpent's face. He cried out, his eyes returning to their normal red.

Laurie fell to her side. "Kai, where are you?" she called. "What's going on?"

"If he loses concentration of his victim, they snap out of the trance" he breathed, freeing his wrist from Skales' grip and pulling on his mask. Kai lunged forward, handing Laurie her mask and helping her to her feet. "You went back into a trance. We have to go before Skales can get to you again. Run!"

The two ninja ran towards the looming city that grew closer with every step. "Is Skales close?" Laurie asked, winded. Sweat was beading on her forehead, her mask in one hand and Kai's hand in the other.

"I'm not sure" he replied, his voice shaking. "I'm hoping we left him far behind." Kai felt Laurie slow slightly and he turned back to see how she was doing. Laurie was dabbing her forehead with her mask, eyes slightly unfocused.

"Kai, I'm feeling funny" she breathed. "Where are we going?" The whites of her eyes were becoming pink as she trudged along, looking at the sand.

"Hold on Laurie, try to focus on saving your brother. We're almost to Ouroboros." Kai fell flat on his back, hands still locked with Laurie's. He glanced upwards, staring at Laurie who stood above him, eyes glowing. "No" he growled, as Skales' silhouette separated itself from the darkness.

"Laurie Garmadon belongs to me, ninja!" he snapped, placing a hand on her shoulder. His glowing eyes matched the intensity of an early sunset. "No matter how far you run or how well you hide, a trance can easily be turned on or off. We Hypnobrai have been mastering it since the dawn of time. Your only chances of truly saving Lord Garmadon's daughter belong to us Serpentine."

Kai looked towards Ouroboros, feeling defeated. "You knew we were coming" he sighed. "I bet you already have Lloyd in the city." Letting go of Laurie's hand, he stood and brushed the sand off of his uniform. "I promise I'll go quietly."

Skales laughed, "Smart choice, ninja." He wrapped his tail around the red ninja's wrist and led him forward. "Follow me, Laurie" Skales commanded as he made his was towards the city.

She fell in line with Kai who looked back in disgust. He was blaming himself for the whole ordeal. If he had not left Laurie alone he would have been able to help her when she initially met Skales. "Dammit" he whispered to himself as the sand turned to stone. Kai looked up and saw two cages sitting on a platform in front of the restored Great Devourer statue. Lloyd peered out of one, his face falling.

Skales shoved Kai into the empty cage, locking the door behind him. Lifelessly, the red ninja sat on the metal floor, his knees up to his chin, watching as the Hypnobrai led Laurie into Lloyd's cage.

"Laurie!" Lloyd squeaked, hugging his sister as Skales shut the door, his eyes returning to normal.

Groaning, Laurie looked around. "What happened?" she asked, confused. The small arms around her waist startled her, until she saw a familiar bowl haircut. "Lloyd!" she gasped, returning the hug. "What's going on?"

"We're in Ouroboros" replied Kai, leaning back against the bars of his cage.

Realization spread across her face. "This is my fault. I had another blackout before we got here. Did I hurt you, Kai?"

Kai gave a slight smile, happy to see that she was worried about him. "No you didn't hurt me. I'm just sorry that we didn't truly get you back. Now we're stuck here and I told the others not to come" he sighed. "Skales has exactly what he wanted: you two."

Lloyd pulled away from his sister and leaned against the cage. "Pythor knew you guys were coming. I think he sent Skales out in anticipation."

"Silence" Pythor commanded, banging his staff against the dusty stone. The three ninja fell silent, staring at their captor. "Generals, let me have your attention. We have successfully captured Lord Garmadon's children. In due time we will make our demands through blackmail, but first…" he approached Kai who narrowed his eyes in defiance, "I think we should take care of the rest of the ninja."

"They won't come, Pythor" smiled Kai. "I told the others not to follow me. I told them that I would be back soon."

Pythor chortled. "You _will_ be going back soon, to lead the ninja here. Then we will have more collateral to offer Lord Garmadon."

"What makes you think that I would do that?"

Fangtom approached the cage that housed Lloyd and Laurie, opened the door and pulled the green ninja out. "Let…me…go!" choked Lloyd as the Fangpyre held the boy high in the air by his shirt collar.

"Stop!" yelled Laurie, lunging for the open door, but she grew still and silent.

"I command _you_ to stop, Laurie Garmadon" hissed Skales. "Stay in the cage, quietly".

"Yes, Skales" she answered in a monotone voice, leaning back against the bars of the cage as Fangtom turned towards Pythor.

"Ninja, do you refuse to lead the others back here?" the Anacondrai asked, a smirk pulling at the edge of his lips. Kai crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to answer. His spiky hair in the torch light threw shadows over the General. "Very well then; Fangtom, you may continue."

The Fangpyre General held a grin on each face. "With pleasure, Pythor" he laughed, digging a pair of fangs into the young boy's shoulder. Lloyd screamed out in pain as the snake threw him back into the cage.

"Lloyd, no!" yelled Kai, gripping the metal that imprisoned him. He felt dizzy and helpless, but turned back to Pythor. "If I do this for you…" he started, gritting his teeth, "will you give Lloyd the anti-venom?"

"Once you have brought the other three ninja and the samurai, I will give the young Garmadon his medicine. Though I would hurry if I were you" Pythor grinned wickedly, "there's no telling how fast the venom will spread through his body." He unlatched the door on Kai's cage, allowing the ninja to step out. "Of course, we won't let you go without a few safety measures."

Skales stood in front of the red ninja. Kai looked back at Pythor and frowned. "I'm already agreeing to lead my friends into a trap, why would you want to control me?"

"It's precautionary" the Hypnobrai hissed, rattling his tail.

Kai avoided his gaze and continued to look at Pythor. "If I refuse this precautionary measure what will happen?"

"I'm sure Skalidor would love to take out some stress on the girl. In her state she would not be able to fight back."

"Fine" Kai sighed, turning to Skales. "Go ahead."

The rhythmic rattling was extremely soothing to the red ninja as he looked into the snake's glowing red eyes. He felt his mind slipping away, becoming fuzzy. Slowly, his brown eyes grew a deep maroon and he stood, facing the General. "What shall I do for you?" he asked in a dream-like state.

"Lead the ninja and samurai back here without showing signs of your allegiance" Skales commanded, his tail slithering back and forth across the ground.

"Yes, Skales, I will do as you command" Kai replied before running back towards Ninjago City.

Lloyd coughed, his small frame shaking uncontrollably. "The ninja will figure out that Kai is being controlled" he managed through chattering teeth. "Then you won't have your collateral, or whatever, to give to my father."

The Anacondrai looked annoyed with the young ninja and rattled the cage. "Listen here, brat" he barked, showing his fangs. "If the ninja figure out that it is a trap, then they won't come. If they don't come, well…" Pythor gave a dark chuckle, "you will eventually turn into one of us." He motioned for the other Generals to follow him. "I'm sure your father would _love_ to have a Serpentine son and comatose daughter." The snakes disappeared into a cave carved out of a dilapidated section of rock.

The green ninja turned to his sister. "L-Laurie, please snap out of it…" Lloyd begged in between his shakes. Sweat began to bead on his forehead in the cool night air. Reluctantly, he pulled his uniform away from the shoulder where he was bitten. The skin around it was turning a sickly shade of green. "Soon I'll start to get scales" Lloyd whimpered, hugging his knees close to his body and looking at his sister for comfort.

Laurie stayed quiet, standing against the bars of the cage. Her mental absence tormented her brother who wanted nothing more but comfort in his grim situation. A tear escaped from one of Lloyd's ducts and he wiped it away quickly. He did not want the ninja to fall for Kai's trick, but he was secretly hoping that they would; counteracting the venom coursing though his body was the only thing on the green ninja's mind. Sniffling, he curled up on the metal floor and fell asleep.

**Everything just took a turn for the worst. Will the ninja fall for such a trick? I don't know, but you will have to wait until tomorrow to find out, sorry. As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and thank you so much for reading! :D**


	8. Change of Fate

**Updating before I go to Disney for the day. Another short chapter, I'm really sorry about that. :/**

Chapter Eight: Change of Fate

Sensei Wu gazed into the Spirit Smoke before him. He could not see Kai, Laurie, or Lloyd. "Strange" he said to himself, pouring a cup of tea. "What has changed their fates so drastically?"

Cole burst through the door to the apartment. "Sensei, we still can't find Kai or Lloyd anywhere. Can you see where they've gone to in your smoke?" He leaned on his scythe, breathing hard. "Please, we're beginning to fear the worst".

"I do not know where they are. The Spirit Smoke has lost sight of their fate."

The black ninja's brows furrowed in confusion. "Does that mean they're dead?" he yelled, stomping his foot. "Are you telling me that your pupils were stupid enough to get themselves killed!?"

The elderly man swung his staff around, the end only an inch from Cole's throat. "It does not necessarily mean they are dead" Wu spat. "There are several reasons that can cause one to lose their fate. _You_, my son, are not allowed to know the secrets of the Spirit Smoke." Slowly, he lowered his staff and picked up his tea cup. "Trust me when I say that neither Kai nor Lloyd is dead."

Jay poked his head around the door frame, his cheeks flushed red. "Nya rebooted Zane" he announced, scratching his head. "He knows where Lloyd ran off to". The other two remained silent, waiting for the blue ninja to divulge the location. "He went to Ouroboros" Jay sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"Ouroboros" Cole asked, "But didn't the Serpentine abandon it after we defeated the Great Devourer?"

"They didn't abandon it" Nya replied, entering the room. Jay sighed contentedly, following her closely. "I've been picking up snake signatures on my radar, only five. I assumed they were straggler Serpentine that didn't know where to go now. Maybe they're actually the Generals, using the city as their new base."

"Indeed" Sensei Wu nodded. "That seems like the most possible scenario."

"Then we have to go find Lloyd!" Cole cried. "I bet we'll find Kai there with Laurie as well!"

"The only problem with that is that I'm standing right here."

Everyone turned to stare at Kai who now leaned against the door frame. His uniform was dusty, his hair sprinkled with sand. A forlorn look was plastered on his face. _You have to make them believe you _Skales hissed in his mind. _Tell them the truth, but about Laurie and Lloyd Garmadon only._

"Pythor has captured both Laurie and Lloyd. Skales is keeping Laurie in a trance and Fangtom bit Lloyd right before I escaped! I need help to defeat the Generals and retrieve the anti-venom" Kai expressed with urgency.

"Well then" Sensei Wu said, "let us go and save the children."

Kai's eyes grew darker. "No, you should stay here to watch the apartment while the rest of us go. Someone needs to keep watch over the city" he relayed in a slightly monotone voice. The elderly man watched Kai carefully before conceding defeat.

"You're right, Kai. Someone has to keep watch".

"Alright guys, let's go!" the red ninja exclaimed, leading Nya and Jay out of the room. Cole was going to retrieve Zane from the body shop, when Sensei Wu grabbed hold of his wrist.

"I sense that something is wrong with Kai, Cole" the master warned. "Please keep your wits about you and don't lose focus. Remember too, if things become out of hand, that Zane has a recording of the Sacred Flute on his hard drive." Cole gave a deep bow, before following after the others.

**Only now do I realize that the chapter title rhymes with eight. Oh well, that's kind of funny. Updating tomorrow with another long chapter. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed, and faved my story. You honestly don't know how much I appreciate the support. :)**


	9. Dangerous Altercations

**Sorry about the later than usual update. I've been doing school work all morning and then I saw what time it was. Funny story before we start. I went to EPCOT yesterday with my younger sister and we were waiting in line for a ride, I don't remember which one, and I saw this little kid holding the cutest Simba stuffed animal. When the line wound around and stopped we were practically next to the little kid. That's when I noticed he had a Kai shirt on. I said "That is the coolest Kai shirt I've ever seen" and the little boy smiled really wide and said "thanks". His mom however looked at me like I was a creep for knowing what was on her child's t-shirt and pushed him in front of her. What, a college student isn't allowed to know what Ninjago is? Sheesh...**

****Chapter Nine: Dangerous Altercations

_Lead them closer to Ouroboros. We have set up a net to catch them near the northern border of the city. You will _not _fail me, ninja._

"I will not fail you" Kai murmured, his attention seemingly miles away. Cole eyed him suspiciously as the troop climbed over a nearby dune. "Come, ninja, the city is close by". The red ninja swayed slightly, his eyes growing even darker.

"Kai, something's wrong with you" Nya stated plainly, grabbing her brother's shoulder and turning him around. Deep maroon eyes greeted his companions. "Skales is controlling you, isn't he?"

_I am releasing you a little more from my control to avoid suspicion, ninja. Do not get any funny ideas._

Kai's eyes grew lighter, only a slightly darker brown than his real eye color. He groaned, rubbing his temples. "You're right Nya" he said quickly. "I'm supposed to lead you guys to a trap at the border of the city. They told me if I obeyed, allowed Skales to control me, they would give Lloyd the anti-venom". Suddenly, he stopped talking, his eyes glowed a bright red.

"Skales must have assumed full control" Zane observed, tackling his friend to the ground. "Do not worry, Kai. We will bring you to the city and fulfill your desires."

"We'll do what now!?" Jay blurted out. "You expect us to walk into a trap and be caught by snakes that will probably refuse to keep their end of the bargain anyways!"

"Precisely" the nindroid smiled, grabbing Kai and throwing him over his shoulder. "I suggest that we hurry. Who knows how far Lloyd has transformed."

The heroes ran down the hill, Kai flailing against Zane's strong grip. As the city approached, Zane scanned the ground for any abnormalities. "I can see a net up ahead. Let us trigger that trap". Reluctantly, everyone followed and the net snapped up around them, entrapping them in twine.

"Itchy" complained Cole.

"My hostage managed to fight my control and blew his cover, but you still came" hissed Skales, dragging the net towards the center of the city. His glowing eyes ceased and Kai coughed. "He is released, for now. To truly cure him though, you must use the anti-venom."

"Or we can use our friend here" grinned Cole, grabbing Zane's forearm and opening a compartment. With a quick finger, he pushed a small blue button. A melody filled the air and Kai passed out. The Hypnobrai howled in pain, his hands on his head. Smirking, the white ninja closed his forearm and the music ceased.

"A recording of the Sacred Flute" cried Skales, continuing to drag the captives towards the looming statue. "Of course, that won't help your sick friend."

As the snake dragged them closer, Cole could see two figures sprawled on the floor of an iron cage. "That must be Laurie and Lloyd" he announced. "I bet Lloyd is in pain, but why would Laurie be out?"

"The flute must have completely broken her trance too" smiled Jay.

The dark blue snake threw the five individuals into a larger cage that sat on the opposite side of Laurie and Lloyd. "Laurie, please wake up" Nya begged. "We need to know how Lloyd is doing".

Moaning, the red-haired girl propped herself up on her elbows. "What's going on?" Her eyes rested on the three conscious ninja and Nya, leaning on the bars of their prison. She noticed Kai, lying on the ground. "He really did it, didn't he? Kai led you here because Pythor told him to."

"That's not important right now" prompted the black ninja. "How is your brother doing?"

As if noticing him for the first time, Laurie gasped. "Lloyd, what's happening to you?" She touched the side of his pale green face which was rough with scales. He shivered at her touch, his eyes closed. Laurie turned back to the ninja. "Did Fangtom do this to him? I blacked out after he grabbed Lloyd. I was trying to stop him…"

"He has not grown a tail yet, so he still has some more time before the transformation is complete" Zane noted, trying to comfort the green ninja's distraught sister.

"Lord Garmadon!" shouted Pythor to a shimmering orb hovering above the sand. "I wish to speak with you!"

Skales made his way over to Laurie, placing her back in a trance. "This has to be perfect, girl, so don't ruin it" he hissed. She knelt on the cage, sitting back on her feet, eyes glowing red.

A black figure appeared on the shimmering circle, his red eyes angry. "Do you have any idea what time of night this is!?" Lord Garmadon exclaimed. "This had better be important, Pythor".

"Oh, it is, sir" the Anacondrai hissed, stepping away from the orb to reveal the two cages. "You see we have met your family and they're simply wonderful"

"Laurie, Lloyd! What have you done to them!?" the evil Lord demanded, worry plain on his face.

"Your daughter is only in a trance" explained Skales, laughing. "Your boy on the other hand may wake up a Serpentine any time now."

Lord Garmadon growled, banging his fists on a table. "Release them at once!" he ordered, his red eyes full of hatred and malice.

"That can be arranged" started the snake, "we do have the anti-venom. However, we wish for you to renounce your leadership position over the other Serpentine". Pythor slithered closer to the siblings. "You wouldn't want something to happen to your children now, would you?"

The image wavered slightly. "The underlings chose to follow me. They may come and go as they wish, I have no power over that" pleaded Lord Garmadon. The ninja looked on, surprised by this new side to one of their greatest enemies. "Please, release my children back to me. They have nothing to do with your grudge!"

Kai sat up, holding his head. "What's going on?" he asked, slightly out of focus. "Everyone's talking so loud that I couldn't sleep!" Suddenly, he stopped and saw his sister staring at him. "Wait, when did I fall asleep!?" Kai realized as the other three ninja stared at him.

"That's not important right now, Kai" Cole answered, turning away from his friend, "because we need to figure out how to help Laurie and Lloyd."

"How can we help them when we can't even help ourselves?" asked Jay, crossing his arms. "I still don't understand why we needed to play along and get trapped in here."

"Your offspring _are_ part of our grudge now" Pythor snapped, acting as if the two siblings were nothing more than an object in a window display. "I'm afraid that we make the rules while we have them".

Lord Garmadon sucked in a breath and gave a smile. "Then go ahead, Pythor. You're right, I am an evil lord and my children should mean nothing to me. Do what you will with them, but I will _not_ have my son become one of your kind. Please give him the anti-venom."

"Yeah" interrupted Kai, "you promised me you would give him the anti-venom when I brought the rest of the ninja and the samurai. I have kept my word and it's time to keep yours, Pythor!"

The purple Anacondrai slithered over to the red ninja, his fangs pulled up in a dreadful smile. "There is more than one way to stop the spread of the Fangpyre venom". He gripped a shining dagger in one of his hands, the golden metal reflecting the early morning rays of sunshine. "Skales" he called, turning to his second in command, "please give this weapon to the girl".

"Of course, sir" Skales smiled, reaching to take the dagger from Pythor. Within seconds he slithered over to the Garmadon siblings, placing the sharp metal in Laurie's hand. "Laurie Garmadon" he announced proudly. "I command you to kill your brother".

"No!" Kai called out, pushing his way past Cole and gripping the bars of the large cage. "You can't make her do that!"

With a bored expression on her face, Laurie gripped the dagger's hilt with both hands and knelt over her brother. "As you wish, Skales" she said, entranced, bringing the dagger up in a high arc.

"Pythor, I order you to stop this madness!" yelled Lord Garmadon, his face full of panic. "I will do whatever you want: give you riches, the Mega Weapon, or even do your bidding. Please, just please, let my son live!" He looked as if he were trying to reach through the communication orb and grab his children.

"I am only doing what you wished, freeing your son from the venom's grip. In a way, death _is_ anti-venom" the purple snake laughed manically. "Skales, do it now!"

"Zane" Nya sputtered, grabbing the white ninja's arm. "You have to play the Sacred Flute recording right now! We can't allow Lloyd to be killed!" Zane nodded, opening the cavity in his arm.

"Laurie Garmadon, kill your brother now" commanded Skales.

With a deep breath, Laurie brought the dagger down quickly, aiming for her younger brother's chest. Lloyd lay motionless in front of her, breathing labored and eyes closed, when a soothing melody filled the air. Laurie stopped her attack, the tip of the weapon bringing blood to the surface of the green ninja's chest. Slowly, her eyes returned to their ice blue color and she fell over on her side, the dagger clattering to the ground.

"You blasted ninja!" Pythor shouted, grabbing Zane's arm through the cage. The recording stopped and a collective sigh of relief was audible. "Keep this up and I will swallow you all whole!"

"Then why did you want us here in the first place?" Jay asked, a smug look on his face, as he brought his fist down on the snake's scaly arm. "We'll keep fighting until we are victorious."

Pythor released the white ninja and slithered away, using his staff to close off communications with Lord Garmadon. "Mark my words, ninja" he threatened, heading towards the underground cave where he slept during the day, "come tonight, you will be defeated."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Nya asked sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest as the Anacondrai disappeared into the darkness.

"Well, one catastrophe has been averted" Cole sighed, sliding his back down the bars of the cage until he rested on the ground. "Now we just have to figure out how to get that anti-venom for Lloyd." Reluctantly, he turned his head to see the green ninja turning green. As he flipped to his side, a small tail was visible below his lower back. "We're running out of time. I don't think he'll make it through the rest of the day".

The sun peeked over the distant mountains, flooding the desert with light. "Not to mention how hot it gets out here during the day" Jay whined, taking his mask off. "We're _all_ gonna die!"

"Calm yourself" Zane smiled, "I believe that I have just figured out a way to escape." Holding his shurikens steadily, the ninja closed his eyes and spun around in a neat circle. All the bars of the cage were frozen solid, sunlight refracting off the ice. "Cole, perhaps you can break them with your scythe?"

"It's worth a try" Cole sighed, trying to raise his scythe as high as he could in the limited space. He brought it down on the floor of the cage, the metal splitting in half and the few bars in front of him shattering. "Look at that" he smiled, pulling his mask off, "it actually worked". One by one, they all exited their prison and hurried to the one that held the Garmadon siblings.

"Laurie is still out cold" noted Jay, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Who's there?" hissed a scared voice. Lloyd sat up slowly, shivering in the growing heat. Immediately, he recognized his friends and attempted to give a smile, baring fangs. "Guys, you shouldn't have come. It's a trap".

"We know, Lloyd" Nya reassured him, studying the latch on the cage door. "This one's easy, just lift and pull…"

The door swung open and Lloyd leaped out, tackling the samurai. "I'm so happy to see you guys" he squealed, trembling. Nya felt his scaly forehead which was feverish. Lloyd frowned as he looked at his own hand, just a shade lighter than the uniform that adorned his frame. "Guys, am I a Serpentine now?" he hissed sadly.

"Not yet, Lloyd" answered Kai, ducking inside the cage and picking up Laurie. Her bō staff caught in between two of the bars and slipped out from her belt. "She feels heavier than before" he grunted, handing the unconscious girl to Cole before going to retrieve her weapon.

"Hey, I'm bleeding!" yelled Lloyd, looking down at the small spot of blood on his chest. "Why am I bleeding guys?"

"Calm down" replied Zane. "Your sister almost plunged a dagger through your heart, but we stopped her before she did."

"Laurie almost killed me!?" Lloyd gasped. His eyes rested solely on his unconscious sibling, limp in the black ninja's arms. He felt betrayed by the one person he had always trusted. The cold that continued to grip his body intensified and Lloyd gave a horrible shudder. "Why would she do that?"

"Lloyd, Skales was controlling her" Cole sighed shaking his head slowly. "Do you honestly think she would have traveled with Kai to Ouroboros just to kill you?"

"Cole is right" chipped in Zane. "If Laurie truly wanted to kill you she would have done so when you first found her in the dojo. You two were alone before I arrived if I recall correctly". The white ninja placed a hand on Lloyd's shoulder which was constantly shivering. "Are you alright, Lloyd? This shivering cannot be normal."

"I'm just so cold" the boy replied. "It feels like I'm in the arctic, not the desert."

"Snakes _are_ cold blooded" said Jay, sweating.

Nya turned towards the statue of the Great Devourer. "I think the Generals are catching up on their sleep" she stated. "Now would be the perfect opportunity to sneak down and find the Fangpyre Staff."

"What if we're ambushed?" Cole asked, frowning. "We have five powerful snakes down there, each with their own special skill set". He gazed down at Laurie whose chest was raising and falling slowly. "We could be captured again and Laurie doesn't look like she's waking up anytime soon".

"We have to take that risk, Cole" started Kai, determination in his light brown eyes. "Lloyd could potentially become the enemy if we don't find the staff in time". His gaze, too, landed on the sleeping form of Lord Garmadon's daughter. His heart ached at how much she had been put through over the past day. "I'll take Laurie if you want" he addressed the leader. "You guys go down and look for the anti-venom".

Shrugging, Cole handed Laurie over to Kai. "Alright, but stay safe."

"I'm not the one going into a cave full of snakes" Kai smirked.

"Please, let me come too" hissed Lloyd. "I want the anti-venom in my system as soon as possible". Cole nodded, and led the others to the entrance of the cave. "I can't see anything" Lloyd complained, "and I feel even worse here in the shade".

"I will go first to make sure the coast is clear" whispered Zane, his body emitting a faint glow of light. The white ninja rounded the corner quietly and found four snakes curled up on the damp cave floor. "Strange" he muttered, "but I thought there were five snake generals".

"There are!" hissed a snake off to the right.

Zane turned, standing face to face with Acidicus, the Venomari General. Before he could properly react to his unexpected visitor, the snake spit a green liquid at the ninja's face. Grunting in pain, Zane blinked rapidly, attempting to rid his eyes of the hallucinatory venom. The walls surrounding him appeared to close in, another prison. "No!" he yelled, blindly trying to push the mirage back.

The commotion bounced off the rock, echoing. "I think Zane is in trouble" Jay stated, sprinting farther into the darkness before anyone could protest. "Hello?" the blue ninja called out softly, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the lack of light. Zane stumbled around in front of him, tripping on a rock. "Zane" Jay breathed, relieved, "its okay. I'm here for you, buddy".

A strong tail wrapped around Jay's throat, pulling him off the ground. Choking and sputtering the ninja kicked his legs wildly, his right hand flying to his belt. With a quick tug, his nun chucks were released and he swung them in a circular motion, building up an electrical charge. Trying to take a breath, Jay flicked a ball of energy behind him. Skalidor released the ninja and stumbled backwards. Jay fell to the ground, nun chucks skittering out of his hand. Once more, the Constrictai wrapped his powerful tail around the blue ninja's throat. Trying to loosen the grip made breathing all the more difficult. Jay lost consciousness and fell to the floor.

"I don't think everything is going well" Nya said, rolling her eyes. "Why don't we all go down together and see what's taking Zane and Jay so long". The samurai led Cole and Lloyd into the cave, scanning the area as she went. Every shadow looked menacing. The winding passageway opened up into a large chamber where Zane sat, tied to his unconscious friend.

"You must leave now!" he shouted, trying to free his arms. "The Serpentine were expecting us. This was a set up!"

Turning on her heel, Nya bumped into Skales. He pointed a katana at her throat. "Surrender, samurai" he commanded, "we already have your other friends." Nya looked around the Hypnobrai and saw Cole struggling against Pythor, a dagger up against his throat. Fangtom was carrying a convulsing Lloyd who had, once more, lost consciousness. "Fine" Nya sighed, raising her arms up, "you got us."

"Where is the red ninja?" Skales asked, his katana unwavering.

"Probably halfway to Ninjago City by now" she lied. "He decided to take Laurie back to Sensei Wu in order to keep her safe."

"Quickly" ordered Pythor, shoving Cole past Skales "subdue the captives and search for the remaining two. Young Lloyd's transformation will be complete in a matter of hours and we won't have anyone ruining the last chance we have of blackmailing Lord Garmadon".

**Oh no, captured once again. Can Kai and Laurie save everyone before Lloyd fully transforms into a Serpentine? Well everyone can find tomorrow after my Chemistry class. Now back to my school work while enjoying the wonderful atmosphere that is Barnes & Noble. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks for all the feedback on this story. :)**


	10. Voices in the Wind

**Chemistry was as boring as always. Not to mention that I had to fight my way through all the people that were lined up to see President Clinton in order to even get to class. I don't understand why there are even classes today considering there was practically no one there except me. Rant, rant, rant. Here's a new chapter as promised. Please enjoy. :)**

Chapter Ten: Voices in the Wind

Kai sat at the opening of what used to be a holding cell. He remembered watching his sister emerge from within a few months ago when Pythor had arranged a battle. That was the day he had learned that Nya was, in fact, the samurai that he had come to despise. Sighing, he glanced down at Laurie. She had been unconscious for, at least, two hours now. The sun was rising higher into the sky. "They sure are taking a long time" Kai sighed, leaning back on his hands. "I sure wish you were awake, Laurie. It's pretty boring with no one to talk to."

The girl groaned in her sleep, turning from her back to her side, laying her head on Kai's right leg. The ninja blushed and cleared his throat, his heart hammering a mile a minute. Not too long ago he had detested Laurie's presence, sensed nothing trustworthy about her. Now, Kai realized he actually, sort of, liked having Laurie around. He felt protective of the teenager, even though she was the daughter of the man who had changed his life forever.

"Spread out and find them!" hissed Pythor, emerging from the cave. The other Generals followed behind him, each heading off in a different direction, preparing to traverse the scorching desert.

Kai grabbed Laurie underneath her arms and pulled her backwards, concealing both of them in the shadows. Cautiously, he looked around the corner. Acidicus and Skalidor were talking in hushed tones and Kai strained to listen.

"It's going to be difficult to find the ninja and the girl" the Venomari leader sighed. "Maybe we should stay back to guard the prisoners…"

"Prisoners?" Kai whispered to himself, confused.

"They'll be fine" replied Skalidor. "If we don't aid in the search for the last ninja Pythor will have our heads." Silently, the two Serpentine split off and left Ouroboros.

Kai's heart was pounding. "The others didn't get the staff. Lloyd isn't safe yet". He backed into the stone wall and slid down. "This whole situation is hopeless!" he growled, his head in his hands. Laurie stirred slightly in her sleep, eyelids fluttering. Kai noticed this and placed a hand on her arm. "Laurie, are you awake?" The orange ninja did not move again.

The sun seemed to travel farther across the sky as Kai gazed out at the empty arena. "I need to help the others, but…" he argued with himself for a while, pacing back and forth across the cell. "Leaving Laurie vulnerable isn't fair to her". Kai stopped in front of the girl, pounding on the wall behind her. "This is so frustrating!" he shouted, looking up at the ceiling.

A scaly hand covered Kai's mouth while a tail wrapped around his arms, binding them to his sides. "Hush, ninja" a voice hissed, "you may wake the girl". Kai tried to call out, but the sound was muffled. He wanted to hide his identity, but the red mask was tucked away in his belt. His captor remained a mystery as he struggled against them. Laurie remained motionless on the floor, oblivious to what was happening.

The tail around Kai's body tightened, the snake forced his head back. Skalidor gazed at the ninja, his eyes shining. "Pythor will be pleased that I have found you". The red ninja wriggled in the Constrictai's grip, his body growing limp. Kai closed his eyes, his strength gone, and his head fell to one side. The General snickered, releasing the ninja from his grip.

"Laurie, wake up now!" shouted Kai, getting to his feet. He did not think the reptile would truly believe he had lost consciousness, but he was glad that his plan had worked. Quickly, he lunged towards the sleeping girl and tried to scoop her into his arms. The tail returned, wrapping itself around his neck. "Laurie" Kai choked, his hands trying to pry the Constrictai's tail off of him. "Wake up, I need your help"!

The orange ninja yawned, her eyes opening slowly. When she saw Kai falling to his knees, she grabbed her bō staff from her belt. Without even thinking, she jumped behind her struggling friend, whipping the wooden stick around behind her back before bringing it down on the black snake's head. He called out, his tail releasing Kai who fell forward onto the stone. Laurie swung the staff in a low arc, knocking Skalidor on his back before giving him a blow to the chest with a blunt end.

Laurie was surprised at all the maneuvers she had just performed. Even when she was teaching herself Spinjitzu vigorously she never managed to move her weapon around with such grace and precision. Her gaze lay on Kai who was coughing and trying to catch his breath. "Oh my gosh are you okay?" the orange ninja knelt down next to her friend, frantic.

"I'm fine" Kai coughed, giving a smile. "You sure took care of that snake. The only other time I've seen you fight back like that was when you were attacking us back in Ninjago City".

"Kai" Laurie started, sighing, "Where are we? The last thing I remember…" She trailed off, thinking. "Pythor was summoning a portal to talk to my father. I blacked out right after that. What happened, Kai?"

"Laurie, you don't need to worry about it, alright?" Kai argued, getting to his feet. "You're free now and I need to get you to Ninjago City as quickly as possible".

The girl's eyes widened in horror and she ripped her mask off. "I did something terrible, didn't I?" Kai avoided Laurie's gaze, pushing past her to exit the cell, when something knocked him off of his feet. Back on the ground, the red ninja stared up into the face of a crying teenager. "What did I do, Kai?" she demanded, banging her bō staff on the ground for emphasis.

"You didn't do anything" Kai sighed, sitting up. "Skales ordered you to kill Lloyd, and you almost did, but Zane was able to release you from his control before you could".

Laurie was happy she had decided to hold her staff vertically because she now leaned on it for support. "I…I tried to kill my b-brother?" she sniffed, her knees feeling weak. The past four years she had been training, loathing her father, and missing the one person in her life that actually mattered to her. She had tried to kill that very person. "I'm a danger" Laurie muttered, a hand over her eyes. "As long as Skales can control me I'm of no use to anyone."

"That's just it" exclaimed Kai, "he can't control you anymore unless he places you into another trance."

"You mean I'm actually _me _again?"

The red ninja nodded, getting to his feet. "I told you that Zane released you from Skales' control before you killed your brother. You're cured, but your brother isn't." Kai pulled the mask down over his face. "The others decided to forge on ahead and retrieve the Fangpyre Staff while I watched you, but I have a feeling they weren't very successful."

Laurie pulled down her mask too, the material sticking to her moist skin. "Lloyd is still turning into a Serpentine then?" she asked cautiously, fearing the answer.

"Yeah" Kai sighed, looking to see if Laurie needed help supporting her body weight. He could see her eyes dim with the confirmation of her brother's fate. "It's going to be alright, Laurie. We'll find the Fangpyre Staff in time to save Lloyd. I promise."

Slowly, Laurie stood up straight, gripping her staff tightly in both hands. "Alright" she breathed, calming her frazzled nerves. "Let's go get that staff". The pair crept out into the blinding light of the sun, Ouroboros virtually empty. "I guess we have to get going somewhere before Skalidor comes to" stated Laurie. "I haven't the slightest idea where the Generals could be."

"I know they all split up earlier, but I didn't pay attention to which snake went where." Kai cupped a hand over his eyes, attempting to block out the glare. "If I was overhearing correctly, they're all out looking for me." A strong wind whipped through the city, twisting sand around in a small tornado. "They could be anywhere though!"

_Go west_.

Laurie turned towards Kai who was looking away from her. "Did you just say something?" she asked curiously.

"Nope" the red ninja replied. "Maybe we should head towards Ninjago City. They probably think I would go back there for Sensei Wu". Kai began walking east, Laurie following close behind. The wind was starting to pick up more.

_Wrong way; go west._

Rubbing her arm, Laurie looked around the barren landscape. There was literally nothing in the desert besides Ouroboros. And there was that voice again, she was positive she was not imagining it. The air was blowing around her, flowing in the opposite direction of her travels. "Kai" called Laurie, stopping at the edge of the city, "I think that we should check somewhere else."

"Where do _you_ propose we check then?" Kai snapped, frustrated. He did not turn to look at his traveling companion.

"I feel like we need to travel west."

Kai gave a sound of disapproval. "Do you know what is west of here, Laurie?" he asked condescendingly. The girl's silence was enough to confirm his suspicions. "Scatter Canyon is west of Ouroboros. Why would you want to start our search there?"

"It's just that…" she started nervously. Laurie did not feel comfortable divulging the fact that she was hearing voices. That seemed suspicious, possibly even residual energy from Skales. "I have a gut feeling about this, Kai" she settled on. "Do you trust me?"

Something about the way Laurie had hesitated made Kai feel slightly unsettled. He remembered back to the night they had briefly shared in the desert, the apology she had never gotten the chance to hear. Perhaps he was jumping to conclusions like he did so often. Kai could not find a reason to distrust Laurie. "I trust you" he sighed. "Let's go to Scatter Canyon." The two ninja re-routed their course as the strong wind died down to nothing.

**This seems to be a little strange. If I heard someone that no one else could I would be severely freaked out. Who, or what, could the voice belong to? Updating again tomorrow after Biology. Thanks for reading, as always! :D**


	11. Spinjitzu

**This chapter has a really unoriginal name because I couldn't think of anything better. Not to mention that it is slightly on the shorter side. With that, enjoy.**

Chapter Eleven: Spinjitzu

It seemed impossible. Kai tried to fathom how Laurie knew Fangtom was at Scatter Canyon, but he could not. "He's here" was all the ninja managed to whisper as he hid behind a somewhat unstable rock formation; it occasionally swayed the more he leaned on it. "You knew, b-but how?"

The orange ninja stood next to her companion, shrugging. "I told you that I had a gut feeling" she scoffed, slowly edging forward. Her eyes were transfixed on the golden staff that the Fangpyre held, its red gem gleaming in the high sun. "It looks to be almost noon" noted Laurie quietly. "I hope we still have enough time to get the anti-venom back to Lloyd."

"Don't worry about that right now" Kai coaxed, carefully following Laurie. "We need to focus on getting the staff first."

The edge of the canyon lay fairly off in the distance, approximately fifty feet, and Fangtom leaned over it, flicking rocks with his tail. Laurie placed her steps carefully, trying to avoid crunching any of the loose rubble or pebbles. With her bō staff in both hands, she took a deep breath. "Are we gonna just fight him for it?" she asked, staring at the ground. A nice breeze had begun to blow.

Nothing but the distant cawing of a bird answered her.

_Danger._

In a single movement Laurie spun around, swinging her bō staff with her right hand only. She made contact with Kai's back, but he hardly seemed to notice. Fangtom held the red ninja off the ground, both fists clamped around his neck. Kai was desperately trying to pry the scaly hands off, his feet kicking wildly in the process. How had the snake managed to move so quickly?

Laurie looked past her friend for a second, her ice blue eyes resting on the Fangpyre Staff. It lay in the sand, unguarded by its owner. "The staff" she gasped, beginning to tear up. She tried to reach out for it with a shaky hand when a gust of wind knocked her off of her feet.

_Your friend needs help._

"My brother needs help too" Laurie coughed, staring up at the sky. The wind really needed to leave her alone. She was old enough to make her own decisions. Suddenly her eyes grew wide. "The wind is communicating with me" she gasped, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Foolish girl" hissed the Serpentine. "I will deal with you after I finish off your friend!"

"Laurie" Kai choked, his voice sounding weak. "Take the staff back to Ouroboros. Save Lloyd. Don't worry about me".

She was tempted to pluck the Fangpyre Staff from the sand and run back to Ouroboros like Kai suggested. "He said he would be okay" Laurie whispered to herself, entranced by her own greed. Another large gust of wind blew sand into the girl's face. She sputtered, rubbing her eyes wildly.

_Your friend needs help_, the wind repeated. If nature could yell that was probably what it would have sounded like.

"Kai said he would be fine" Laurie argued.

_You are as greedy as your father._

Anger bubbled in Laurie's veins. Never had she felt so insulted and ashamed at the same time. It was true: in the same situation her father would not have hesitated to grab the staff. As if seeing the entire scenario for the first time, Laurie let out a gasp. There was her friend, her companion, practically dying in front of her. "I am nothing like my father!" she yelled, getting to her feet.

The strong breeze that had been fighting the orange ninja now swirled around her, kicking up dust and rocks in its wake. "Ninja-Go!" she growled through her teeth, shifting her body weight in the opposite direction of her bō staff. Laurie began to spin, her form visually similar to a twister: yellow and somewhat dusty looking.

Fangtom hissed as she barreled into him. Both hands released Kai and he tumbled to the sand. The red ninja was catching his breath, scrabbling for the staff that lay close by. With a victorious grin, Kai caught the handle of the object. "Laurie, I've got the staff!"

Laurie stopped spinning, her face flushed. The Fangpyre General yelled in a muffled voice, both his heads securely buried in a pile of white sand. "Are you okay, Kai?" she asked, breathing heavy and falling to her knees.

"Yeah" replied Kai, standing up. "I'm kind of used to being strangled now". The golden object caught the sunlight and he squinted. "We need to head back to the city now!"

"Okay" Laurie breathed, using her bō staff as leverage to pull herself up. The feeling of actually performing Spinjitzu was breath-taking by itself, but it had actually seemed as if doing it had deprived her of oxygen. "Let's go take this back to my brother".

"Are you alright?"

"Of course I am, Kai" she smiled, her face beginning to turn back to its natural color. "I just performed Spinjitzu for the first time ever". With a sudden rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins, Laurie sprinted east, back to Ouroboros with Kai struggling to keep up.

**The Fangpyre Staff has been procured! Updating tomorrow when I quickly run back to my computer in between Algebra and Composition. XD**

**Thank you, once again, for everyone who has been reading, reviewing, etc. It is honestly thanks to you guys that I now consider myself a decent writer. I honestly thought I was pretty bad before I decided to upload this. :/**


	12. Lost and Found

**Happy Halloween everyone! Is anybody going trick or treating tonight or dressing up at school? It's really cold where I live right now so I've been walking around campus with a Ravenclaw scarf and a Mudkip hat. Most unorthodox way of dressing up ever. I bet my peers in Composition will laugh at me. Here's a new chapter! Only two more after this, so enjoy. :)**

Chapter Twelve: Lost and Found

"I don't think Lloyd has much time left" Nya sighed, staring at the young boy who slept on the opposite side of the cave. His fangs had punctured his bottom lip as they grew, blood trickling down his face. The tail was longer, only visible when Lloyd flipped over in his restless slumber. It was growing harder to distinguish between his scaly skin and ninja uniform.

"There's still hope" offered Cole. "I think if the Serpentine had caught Kai or Laurie they would have brought them down here. Maybe they're out looking for the anti-venom".

"Maybe they're not" Jay said, angry with how easily he had been stopped by Skalidor. "Laurie's probably not even conscious so Kai wouldn't go looking around for something with dead weight".

"Kai initially took Laurie with him when chasing after Lloyd in the first place" Zane smiled. "She was unconscious then too as I recall".

"I don't even know _how_ you can recall it because _Lloyd had shorted you out_!" the blue ninja growled, wriggling in his bonds. "Kai probably wouldn't risk that now anyways. I see the way he looks at Laurie. He loves her".

"Kind of like the way you look at Nya?" laughed Cole before receiving a very dirty look from his friend. "Take it easy, Jay" he continued, clearly annoyed. "There's no reason to give up hope. I'm sure Kai and Laurie are headed back with the Fangpyre Staff right now. They'll give Lloyd the anti-venom and reverse the transformation".

"The probability of that occurring is less than one percent" Zane informed the others.

"Never tell me the odds" Nya snapped, taking in a deep breath to calm herself down. "We have to hope for the best in a situation like this".

Footsteps echoed down the outer corridor. "Someone's coming!" exclaimed Jay. The sounds grew louder, and the group held their breath. "It sounds like someone walking" the blue ninja added, "but Serpentine Generals don't have feet".

"But ninja do" Cole smiled as Kai's head poked around the corner.

"Are you guys alright?" Kai whispered, his eyes shifting back and forth. "All the Serpentine are gone, right?" Everyone gasped as an outline of a hooded snake appeared behind Kai's shoulder. Turning around, the red ninja sighed. "Relax, guys, it's just the Fangpyre Staff".

"Yes, the Serpentine are all gone" replied Zane. "They left in search of you and Laurie." He glanced at the Fangpyre Staff, a puzzled look on his face. "Where _is_ Laurie?"

Kai strode in, the staff resembling a baton in his hand. With a quick glance at Lloyd, he shuddered and left the staff near the boy. "Laurie is at the mouth of the cave keeping an eye on things" Kai stated, beginning to undo the ropes that bound each of his friends. "Of course, she wanted to be the one to give Lloyd the anti-venom, so let's take him and the staff back up to the desert."

Cole grabbed the green ninja, leading the team outside. Kai brought up the rear with the Fangpyre Staff. Quickly, they traversed the corridors until sunlight greeted them. "It sure feels nice to be out in the sun instead of the cold cave" Cole smiled. "It'll be good for Lloyd too."

"Where's Laurie?" asked Nya, cupping a hand over her eyes to block out the sun.

"Lloyd!" called a familiar voice. Laurie slid down the back of the Great Devourer statue, landing unsteadily on her feet. The unconscious form of her brother was quite disturbing. He barely looked human. "Is it too late?" she frowned, placing a hand on Lloyd's forehead. It was cool to the touch.

"Yes, it's far too late to save Lloyd Garmadon" hissed a voice from behind. Pythor slithered forward, his red eyes full of malice. "You sure gave us trouble, but we still managed to accomplish _something_ that we put into action." The Anacondrai slipped his tail underneath Cole, knocking him off of his feet. Lloyd fell to the sand, Pythor quickly dragging him into his possession.

"Lloyd!" Laurie yelled, whipping the bō staff out from behind her back. She glared at the snake with pure hatred. "You let him go or I swear I will…"

"What will you do, Laurie Garmadon?" Pythor snickered, throwing her younger brother down behind him. "It's too late to save him so the only person you have to blame is yourself."

Laurie felt all the energy drain from her body. She fell to her knees, bō staff landing softly on the sand in front of her. "This _is_ my fault" she muttered to herself, head bowing. "I caused all of this". Laurie felt the stinging of tears build up and she rubbed her eyes furiously with the back of her hand.

"It's not your fault" Jay called out, advancing towards the snake with his nun chucks. "We're ninja and where we go there will always be danger."

"Jay, stand back!" yelled Zane. "I will freeze him with my shurikens". Closing his eyes, the nindroid flung both pieces of metal at the reptile who stood, dumbfounded, at what was happening. Without time to react, the weapons barreled into Pythor's scales, freezing him solid. "That was much easier than I anticipated" the white ninja smirked.

"Laurie" Kai said, kneeling down next to the broken girl. "Laurie, it's okay. Zane just froze Pythor and we're going to give Lloyd the anti-venom." She stared up at him with the saddest expression, all hope gone. "Here, I'll bring you to him" the red ninja sighed, picking Laurie up and sprinting to where Lloyd lay in the sand. The Fangpyre Staff glinted in the hilt where he carried his weapons. "Take this" Kai smiled, handing the staff to the orange ninja. "Go save your brother."

She stared down at the carefully carved piece of gold. This is what she and the ninja had been trying to procure the entire day. The red jewel seemed to glow; the liquid it contained swirled around. With a renewed sense of optimism, Laurie ran to her brother, kneeling beside him. With a tight face, she smashed the staff on the ground. Red spores sprouted from it, filling the air and covering the green ninja. He gave a slight cough in his sleep, forked tongue visible, but remained reptilian.

"It didn't work" Laurie gasped, dropping the mangled gold that remained in her hands. She backed away from her brother with horror. "Pythor was right, we were too late…"

Kai was the first person next to her, his hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Laurie" he tried comforting her. It was not okay, but there was no reason to make the girl anymore upset than she already was. They had lost the prophesized green ninja, but Laurie had lost her _brother_. "You know he's not dead though, right? He's just a Serpentine."

"He might as well be dead" Laurie cried, her chest heaving with heavy sobs. "I'm a ninja now. We fight the Serpentine!" She shook Kai's hand off of her as dust began to swirl around. "I killed my brother!" she shouted, gritting her teeth. "_I _did this!" The wind intensified, forming a large tornado around the girl. It grew with every passing second, becoming larger and taller. Soon she was engulfed by it, completely invisible to everyone on the outside.

"What's going on?" asked Cole, trying to shield his eyes from the flying debris. "It looks like she's creating a sand storm!"

"I believe the wind is responding to her anger and frustration" Zane observed. "This is not good though, for my sensors indicate that it is quickly becoming a vacuum."

"A vacuum" Jay asked, sliding backwards along the sand. "Does that mean she's going to suck us all inside?"

"No, she seems to be pushing the air outwards" continued Zane, worry plain on his face. "The more likely outcome is that she will suffocate from a lack of oxygen".

"What?" snarled Kai. "Are you telling me that Laurie is killing herself?"

"Unintentionally, but, yes" Zane frowned.

Kai felt his heart drop into his stomach as the wind grew stronger. "Laurie…" he whispered, unable to look away from the mass of swirling dust that continued to pelt him and his friends with sand. There was no reason for her to die, especially when she did not know she was killing herself. He remembered back to the incident in Scatter Canyon when the girl had seemed extremely winded after performing Spinjitzu for the first time. "Her powers are so great. She just needs to learn how to control them."

"Guys" Nya called, waving her hands wildly in the air; she was extremely difficult to hear over the whistling of the wind. Lloyd lay on the ground in front of her, his blonde hair blowing everywhere. "I think the anti-venom worked! Lloyd's face is beginning to turn back to its normal color!"

"Laurie actually did it" smiled Jay. "She saved her brother just like she wanted to."

"And now she's gonna die" frowned Cole, giving the blue ninja a hard punch to the shoulder.

"I-I need to help her!" Kai stated, his eyes wide with fear. "She needs to know that her brother's fine". He took a deep breath, digging his heels into the soft sand to prevent himself from blowing away.

"But, Kai, that means you may…" Zane started, but the red ninja cut him off.

"I know what's probably going to happen, Zane, but I need to help her." With that, Kai took off, running against the ever powerful currents of air. The closer he got to the tornado, the more the air pushed back. Diving through the actual twister felt like being attacked by a thousand katanas. "Laurie, it's me, Kai" he said, taking off his mask. "I'm here. Everything's okay."

The red-haired girl floated two feet off the ground, her skin flushed and extremely white. "My brother is a Serpentine" she yelled, her voice echoing off of the barrier around them. "How dare you tell me everything is okay!?"

"Lloyd is doing fine. You cured him, Laurie" Kai tried to smile. The pressure on his chest was growing, making him cough. "The virus is retreating from his system. You saved him just like you wanted to."

Laurie opened her eyes, glaring at Kai. "Don't lie to me! I saw my brother myself. He's still a snake and the anti-venom didn't work!"

"It did work" the red ninja smiled, falling to his knees. Blackness was greeting him on all sides, his lungs and heart feeling constricted. "You need to stop this tornado or you'll die". Kai felt the fire inside of him beginning to flicker. His eyes started to close.

"I deserve to die" Laurie cried. "I've messed up everything for you and the others. Give me a reason why I shouldn't perish right here, right now."

"Because I love you" sighed Kai, falling onto his side.

_You have killed him._

Laurie's eyes grew wide as she took in what the wind was saying. All the dust around her fell to the earth, becoming one again with the desert. The setting sun was now visible to her as she knelt over Kai, gripping one of his hands. "Y-you _love _me, Kai?" she asked, sniffing.

"What's wrong?" asked a small voice. Laurie turned to see her brother walking towards her. His sickly green skin had almost completely vanished and his fangs were beginning to shrink. "Is Kai okay?" he asked, sitting on the ground next to his sister; the tail that trailed behind him was growing smaller with each passing moment.

"I killed him" she breathed, the color beginning to return to her face as well. "He sacrificed himself to bring me back to my senses." With a mixture of heavy sobs and wheezing, the orange ninja pulled off her mask. "I didn't know he felt so strongly about me. I thought he hated me". She leaned in and gave him a small kiss.

A rough bump went through Kai's chest as he gasped. Laurie and Lloyd leaned over him, their faces full of shock. "Is the tornado gone?" he asked, breathing quickly. "Where's everyone else?"

"We're right here, buddy" smiled Jay, coming to stand behind the orange ninja. "That was really dumb of you, but it resolved the situation."

"You really _did_ know what you were getting yourself into" Zane said, bringing Cole and Nya over. "I did not see any probability of you surviving though."

"Neither did I, Zane" Kai coughed, gazing up at Laurie. "See, I told you Lloyd was safe" he smiled before closing his eyes.

"Kai!" Laurie yelled, placing both hands on the red ninja's shoulders. "Please don't leave me again!"

"He just passed out" Cole reassured the girl. "He just came back from the dead you know. I'm sure that would make anyone tired." The leader scooped up Kai and tossed his limp body over his shoulder. "We should all head back to the apartment now. It's been a long couple days."

The ninja trudged on ahead with Laurie, Lloyd, and Nya following close behind. Laurie glanced over at the female samurai nervously. "I'm so sorry about everything that just happened" she apologized, feeling every muscle in her body tense up. "I mean, with Kai and all."

"It's okay" Nya replied, looking a little unsure. "We live with this kind of danger and threat every day." She looked at Lloyd who was almost completely cured. He gave her a warm smile. "How are you feeling, Lloyd?"

"I'm feeling great!" Lloyd laughed, leaving the two girls behind for the ninja.

Laurie smiled. She was so happy she could save her brother. That was the only thing on her mind for the past few days and her narrow focus had distracted her from something more important: another stranger who cared for her.

"Laurie, you do realize that everything that happened today could have gone a lot worse?" Nya said sternly, falling beside the orange ninja in step. "My brother could have died and yours could have become a Serpentine."

"Yeah" Laurie sighed, "I know."

"When things don't go as you want them to it can become frustrating" the samurai continued, "trust me. If things _do_ take a turn for the worse, you can't just lose yourself in pity and sadness. You have to pick yourself up and carry on." She saw how Laurie avoided her gaze. "Just some friendly advice for the future, okay?"

"Thanks for that, Nya" Laurie answered, rubbing her arm nervously. "I promise that I'll do everything I can to be a team player now." She rested her eyes on her brother who was continually poking Jay. "I realize now that I have more family than I ever thought I did."

**All is well that ends well, or is it? Final chapter tomorrow and epilogue on Friday. Try to have fun this Halloween even though there is no new Ninjago tonight, meh. :/**


	13. The Prophecy

**Goodness gracious this morning has been crazy! Algebra has to be one of the worst subjects ever invented and I hold blame to those individuals who decided "it will be a great idea to add letters to arithmetic!" Anyways, it's time for an update. This is the final chapter of the story, so enjoy. :)**

Chapter Thirteen: The Prophecy

"How are you feeling?" Laurie sat on the edge of Kai's bed, trying to give him enough room as possible. She shifted uncomfortably, nervous about talking to him for the first time since the desert.

"I'm feeling fine" Kai replied, smiling. He had been unconscious for three days. The hustle and bustle of training had continued as usual around him. "I'm surprised I stayed out so long in an apartment like this. I remember the real-estate woman called it 'a cozy dream', but I think of it more as a claustrophobic nightmare."

Laurie blushed. She felt her heart begin racing. "Um…do you remember anything that happened that day?" she asked nervously, twisting a lock of her red-hair around her index finger. She had been somewhat dreading asking Kai if he really _did_ love her. It could have been something he said in the moment.

"No, I don't remember anything" Kai frowned, sitting up. "The last thing I remember is fighting the skeletons back in town." He laughed at his friend's audible gasp. "I'm just kidding! Of course I remember what happened back at Ouroboros. I told you that I loved you, Laurie".

She could feel her face growing redder. "Did you really mean that though?"

"Of course I did" the red ninja replied, holding Laurie's hand. "We'd been through a lot together these past few days and I began to realize how much I truly care for you." He gave her a kiss on the cheek before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "I'm guessing everyone is down at Dareth's Dojo. Would you want to head down there with me?"

"Alright" Laurie nodded, "let's go".

* * *

The two entered the dojo, holding hands. Lloyd was the first to greet them, running up and practically jumping into his sister's arms. "Glad you came, sis" he grinned, giving her a big hug. Then his gaze drifted down to their clasped hands. "Gross! Kai, my sister is going to give you cooties and stuff!" Lloyd complained, backing away.

"I think I can live with cooties" Kai laughed.

"Get over here you guys!" Jay called, waving. "Sensei has something important to tell us!"

"Indeed" Zane smiled. "I believe he said something about an addition to The Prophecy".

Kai led Laurie over to the mat where the others sat. They both took a seat, in between Cole and Zane. "Are you talking about The Green Ninja Prophecy?" Kai asked, truly curious. "I thought that was about Lloyd."

"It is" Sensei Wu said, entering the main room from Dareth's office. "There was more to the scroll then you saw." The elderly man placed a weathered scroll on a small table that sat in the middle of the group. "You all were so focused on becoming the green ninja after you saw it that none of you unrolled the rest of the scroll."

"There was more to the scroll?!" Jay cried. "There was another chance for me to become even more amazing than I already am?"

"Jay, shut up" Cole glared. "Let Sensei finish".

"The Prophecy was not just about the green ninja" Sensei Wu stated, opening the scroll. Depictions of the five ninja were visible, but at the very bottom was a swirling vortex. "The Prophecy also predicted the rise of another individual, one that holds a great inner power that could possibly endanger their own life." He looked over at Laurie who had gone pale. "I believe that Laurie is this prophecised ninja. She is destined to protect the green ninja as you all are destined to train him."

"How will I learn to control my powers, Sensei?" the girl asked, feeling uncomfortable. "I don't want to hurt anyone else while I try to help."

"With training and focus you will learn to curtail the dangers of the wind. Of course, even the strongest ninja falls sometimes. Your path will be difficult." Sensei Wu gave her time to let it all soak in. "Do you think you are capable of pursuing this journey?"

"Yes" Laurie breathed, squeezing Kai's hand. "If I buckle down and train I believe that I will be able to master my element." She smiled, looking into the faces of the friends that surrounded her. "I'm just glad to be a part of the team."

"Let's head to Ninjago Park to officially welcome our newest recruit" Cole grinned, placing a hand on Laurie's shoulder. "It'll be nice to have a girl around with us."

"Um, I've been here the entire time!" Nya shouted from Dareth's office.

"I think we should go" Zane urged. "Nya sounds very displeased."

"Last one there has to do all the laundry!" Lloyd yelled, sprinting out of the door. The others laughed and followed suit, Laurie and Kai bringing up the rear.

Nya poked her head through the beads that hung from the door frame. "Those guys are dead when they go back to the apartment!" she growled. Sensei Wu sat at the table, staring at the scroll and sighing. "Is everything okay, Sensei?" the samurai asked, pushing her black hair behind her ear.

"There was more to The Prophecy than I let on" he confessed, rolling up the old paper. "They all just seem so happy right now, I couldn't bear to tell them more than they needed to know."

"What's the rest of The Prophecy then?" Nya asked, kneeling down next to the elderly man.

"The prophecised ninja will sacrifice themselves in order for the green ninja to defeat the dark lord." Sensei Wu finished rolling up the scroll and placed it inside his leather bag. "There is no telling when that day will come, but I believe it is better for them not to know the ending of Laurie's story." He glanced at Nya who had her head bowed. "You know that your brother would be heartbroken especially."

"Yeah, I know" she frowned.

Sensei Wu stood up, slinging the bag over his shoulder. "Come now, Nya" he said, shuffling towards the door. "Let us go join the others at Ninjago Park. There's nothing I like more than a party." He exited the dojo, waiting for the samurai outside the door.

"I just hope that my brother enjoys his happiness while it still lasts" Nya sighed, absentmindedly adjusting the bracelet on her right wrist. She walked out of the dojo, putting on a smile for the elderly man as the two made their way down the street.

**Well, there you have it. Of course, the epilogue (which is really short) will be uploaded tomorrow, but I really do hope that you all enjoyed this story. And a very "Happy Birthday" to Actiongirl101! So, yeah, look forward to a sequel in the future (it's already halfway done) and thank you so much for all the reviews and support. You guys rock! :D**


	14. Epilogue

**Fair warning: this is the shortest thing you will ever read in your life. Again, I'm just setting up for the sequel that is already in the works. Enjoy this pitiful epilogue. :)**

Epilogue

Pythor blinked as sunlight streamed in through a nearby window. "Where am I?" he hissed angrily as a door on the other side of the room opened. Lord Garmadon walked in, a scowl on his face. The snake bared his fangs, jumping off of the bunk he had been laying on. "Lord Garmadon, how dare you kidnap me?"

"Kidnap you?" the man scoffed, crossing his two sets of arms. "I saved your life you ungrateful wretch! I could have left you frozen out there in the desert after what you did to my children!" Lord Garmadon narrowed his eyes in frustration. "I saved you though because we both want the same thing: to destroy the ninja".

"What makes you think I'll cooperate with you?" Pythor leered.

"Like I just finished saying, I saved your life. I believe you owe me some respect". Lord Garmadon gave the purple serpent a condescending chuckle. "With the Mega Weapon _we_ can rule Ninjago, but only if we work together."

Pythor narrowed his eyes. "If I agree to this arrangement, _I_ get to destroy the ninja."

"Only those that are not my children" Lord Garmadon argued. "I will not allow you to even be near them after what you put them through."

"Lord Garmadon, please" smirked the Anacondrai. "Let what's in the past stay in the past." He slithered over to the man, holding his scaly hand out. "I agree to work with you."

"Alright then" Lord Garmadon smiled, shaking the reptile's hand. "It's a deal then. The ninja won't even know what hit them". Laughter filled the air as the Black Bounty floated lazily towards Ninjago City.

**And that's my story. Thanks for reading, reviewing, etc. I appreciate all the support that was given. If you have time, I could really use your help making a decision that will influence my series in the future. Take the poll on my profile and help me name an OC that will have a big impact on the story. Thanks to everyone. I leave you with the most ridiculous question in the world:**

**Did you have a favorite part of this story? :)**


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